Public libraries might remedy our public house downside

Think about it is midday and also you’re wandering round Dhaka beneath the scorching warmth searching for a quiet place to work or research. You are hoping to discover a quiet setting the place you’ll be able to give attention to finishing your homework for the day and perhaps get some studying completed as effectively. The noise from the close by development web site is inhibiting the peace at house, making it unattainable so that you can focus there. Your solely different choice is to go to a restaurant, however you do not wish to spend the final of your weekly allowance on overpriced espresso simply to get a seat.

In occasions like this, you desperately wished that there was a well-equipped public library in Dhaka that you could possibly frequent. And that’s me. Rising up in Dhaka, I’ve at all times felt the necessity for a public library for numerous causes.

Within the more and more privatised and neoliberal societies that we reside in, public areas have gotten scarce. The prevailing libraries in Dhaka fail to make sure the provision of various studying supplies important to have interaction readers of all ages, backgrounds, and pursuits like me. I’ve at all times discovered the prevailing ones to cater to solely particular teams of individuals, principally people getting ready for the BCS or different public exams.

Though it is a nice instance of how resourceful public libraries are, it additionally reveals the difficulty with the prevailing ones – it is not catering to the calls for of younger individuals like me. The absence of a wealthy assortment of studying supplies and analysis content material renders a library meaningless, which is why most libraries in Dhaka are in a sorry state.

Thus, there must be a push for a robust public library tradition in Dhaka.

Firstly, the prevailing public libraries should inventory the cabinets with the newest books. Secondly, it should make sure that it is catering to individuals of all socio-economic courses.

One in every of my favorite accounts on Instagram is the Milwaukee Public Library account. Its key characteristic is that it is advertising a robust public library tradition to its viewers by way of humorous and relatable content material, principally memes and reels. This sends a message throughout to the viewers that public libraries could be a enjoyable place too.

An identical advertising method could be launched right here as it is a inventive solution to get extra individuals to make use of libraries.

Let’s break down the parable that younger individuals do not learn today. On-line bookstores are witnessing a surge in ebook gross sales indicating that younger individuals wish to learn however wish to do it on their phrases. It reveals a development that younger individuals like accessibility and comfort in relation to studying. By making public libraries extra accessible and user-friendly, we are able to encourage extra younger readers to make use of them.

Public libraries could be a nice equaliser, providing entry to information and sources that is likely to be out of attain for a lot of. Due to this fact, libraries have to be simply accessible and welcoming to everybody.

With public areas turning into more and more scarce and the general group well-being threatened, public libraries might play a vital function in fostering a robust sense of group. It is excessive time that the general public library tradition in Dhaka will get a lift and turns into an integral a part of the group.

Usraat Fahmidah loves philosophy. Her favorite philosophers embrace Simone de Beauvoir and Agust D. Ship her ebook suggestions at [email protected]