To bring Library Lovers Month to an end, I would like to sing the praises of an institution far too undervalued in modern society.
I find literature to be a very grandiose artform, despite not being as celebrated as it used to be. Libraries are a fantastic way to engage with literature for free. It is incredible we are able to have a plethora of books to read without the process being monetized.
I would encourage students at Keene State College to go to Mason Library every once in a while. It may be tempting to engross oneself in an artform that does not take a lot of effort to digest or, even worse, spend all of one’s time on social media and not let your mind grow.
I know I sadly fall into having a short attention span and a content addiction. However, it is beneficial to consume art that you are able to sit and think about, which is exactly what literature will let you do.
I really wish I could motivate myself to read more. Not reading enough is perhaps my biggest guilt. What is worse is there are many Americans who do not even read at all.
According to Pew Research Center in 2021, 23% of American adults did not read a book in part or in whole of the course of 12 months. That is an embarrassingly high number of people who did not read at all. I worry very much for this country where almost a quarter of the adults have not read even part of a book.
My advice for people who, like me, might struggle getting motivation to read is to listen to audio books. I love audio books, they take some of the stress away from reading for me while I am still able to engage the text critically. What is also fantastic about audio books is they are available in libraries for free. While there are a lot of people in America who do not read, there are also many people who see the importance of libraries.
According to Pew Research Center in 2015, 72% of women and 58% of men ages 16 and up said closing libraries would have a major impact on their community. Also 78% of Hispanic people and 70% of parents of minors said the same thing.
It is wonderful that people still see the importance of libraries. I wish more college students would get involved in going to the library.
I very much recommend Mason Library. Mason Library is open from 8 a.m.- 11 p.m. on Monday-Thursday, 8 a.m.-6 p.m. on Friday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. on Saturday and 12 p.m.- 11 p.m. on Sunday. The hours are more than reasonable to go in and check out a book.
With Library Lovers Month coming to an end, I recommend ending it with a nice book.
Nico Brazill can be contacted at
nbrazill@kscequinox.com
