Thoughts, inventions, Ideas, Civilizations, Science, Arts, Math . all this has been learned by man, handed over from generation to generation, improving from generation to generation. How did Man manage to leash these complex ideas so that we could learn from the same, improve on the points overlooked by our predecessors . Books, documented information . these were responsible in transfer of knowledge . the prime need of our existence. One gets up in the morning opens the tap and washes his face . imagine walking a kilometer to the lake and rinsing your face in it .all the knowledge which facilitates the day to day activities which we partake have been augmented by knowledge. Steering away from the possible criticism that these details were uncalled for! the need for respect of knowledge and moreover the basic means by which such knowledge was stored . .Reading of Books must be inculcated in todays?s youth !
Books are of various types, ones which impart knowledge about a particular subject, very academic and the ones which some of us tend to dislike . reason being that the same are wry and boring. This particular feeling is because of the lack of a reading habit. Children, right from a tender age must be cajoled and pampered with books and not chocolates. Fiction, Non Fiction . and various other books not only supplement knowledge already being imparted in educational institutions but also improve the command over the language and also extract various ideas and enables abstract thinking.
Libraries, the concept of which were commenced from the great Romans are the backbone of knowledge today. Libraries are typically found in educational institutions. In India apart from Schools and Colleges there are many kinds of Libraries . We have the structured well indexed big Libraries in Mumbai like Asiatic Library, British Council Library, American Council Library and many Libraries by the Parsi entrepreneurs .
Apart from such libraries we have small shops which rent out fictional books at a very reasonable rate in suburbs, small towns and cities. This is a perfect place for the book fanatic who need not spend his money on purchasing a book which he or she may not like but can rent out a book, read the same and then look out for another one.
Points to look out while selecting a Library
First you must decide the types of books you need to read . the fictional types would entail you to join a book club the kinds where one can rent out a book for a fee. Generally such libraries charge a deposit while you take their membership to cover their liability for loss or damage of books.
If you are into research or want to gather information for a project, your local school or college would be ideal for the same. However bigger libraries such as Asiatic and British Council in Mumbai would be ideal as . there is a provision for students and researchers to sit down and one can makes notes of books which cannot be issued or which are too big to be carried home to .
A general check around the Library or a look at the index cards, a talk with the librarian would do a lot of good as one can acquaint himself about the kind of books available in that particular library and whether that type warrants your need.
Changing Facets of Libraries
The Libraries till around the mid nineties were the kinds wherein the system of Index cards were followed and the member would search for the book, note the number and search for that particular book. Strange are the ways of this world and even after massive technological advances after the onset of television, computer and the internet the need for books has still not waned! In fact the maintenance of books has improved and so has the facility for the member to search for a particular book.
Various Library softwares enable member to search for books on various search strings such as title, keyword, author etc . This helps the member to find whether a particular book is available and also for alternative choices for that particular subject.
KEEP READING AND SOWING THE SEEDS OF KNOWLEDGE INTO ONESELF