There’s going to be a new library in the Vivocity shopping mall and that’s great news. But reading the comments section of the bit of news on social media made me sigh. There were ignorant comments about how everyone should download ebooks and not waste time looking for physical ones, or that they wanted Daiso, the previous tenant of the space, to stay. In short, people don’t understand why there is a need for libraries, and let me give you a hint: it’s not just about the books.
I’m pretty sure that one of my favourite writers, Neil Gaiman, has written an essay about why we need libraries. But here’s what I have to say. I am nowhere near as eloquent, but I will explain why, on this tiny piece of land beneath Malaysia, we still need libraries.
Sure, libraries are places where you can borrow books, but let me tell you the most important function of the library: it is a sanctuary. In a world where hypercapitalism is rampant and sales assistants expect you to buy something when you walk into a store, a library is the opposite. A library lets you be. You can be yourself in the library and nothing is expected of you. In your office, you are expected to work, and in a mall, you are expected to purchase something. But in a library, no one cares. You can choose to read a book or not. You can choose to take a breather in this crazy world that is moving a mile a minute. No one is judging you. And spaces like that, welcoming spaces for everyone, especially the poor and in need, are always in short supply. Why do you think students choose to study in libraries? It is a safe space for them to question the world and revise their school material without judgement. After all, everyone in a library minds their own business. Ask a librarian a question and she does not judge. She merely guides you towards the answer.
But we need libraries and we need physical copies of books. We need a sanctuary for people, young and old, to discover the joy of reading. We need people in this emotionally stunted nation to read because so many people have trouble expressing their emotions when communicating with their friends and families. People in this country have a terrible emotional range and no vocabulary to express how they feel–that is, if they don’t read books. In short, this is the function of empathy–to understand oneself and understand others, and in so doing, connect with others better. Understanding oneself is important, especially figuring out one’s emotional wants and needs. Learning how to express them instead of not knowing how to is the first step to bettering one’s life.
Reading also brings knowledge. When certain problems are highlighted on social media or the press, many people like to comment something along the lines of this: “Things have always been this way and they have worked well. Why is everyone making a big fuss?” This, to me, is ignorance, plain and simple. There is a lack of awareness and a lack of willingness to question what is wrong with certain socio-economic aspects of society. This is the mark of complacency. Society regresses when people do not read and wallow in their own privileges, oblivious to any flaws that are inherent in the system we’re under. With people reading books from libraries, things change, especially since books reflect problems in real life and readers gain understanding in a point of view that is not theirs. When one returns to the “real world” after finishing the book, readers can see clearly what is wrong with our own society and start to make changes.
I promised that I wouldn’t swear on this blog, but f*** another store in a mall that goads people to spend money. As it is, people in Singapore don’t read. We have a surfeit of libraries, and the government has put in the time, money, and resources to build them. It’s time we use them–and wisely, too.
Image by Kathryn Greenhill