Silence is a scarce commodity in today’s busy world, and especially now, given that even the quiet sanctity of ‘home’, has mostly succumbed to the hubbub of remote working.
It’s no wonder, therefore, that the library - that most sacred of quiet places - has never looked more appealing.
Whether for the purpose of landing on some much-needed peace and quiet, or simply as a change of scene, the fiction aisle is THE place to be right now, with it’s secret sauce of silence and solitude.
Within these four walls, it’s not just precious headspace that’s on tap, but also the tools we need to digitally detach, to broaden our knowledge and imagination, and to hone that long-lost art of…browsing. Of picking up, and putting down. Scanning, flicking, and thumbing away the minutes and minutiae in equal measure.
On the occasion of National Libraries Week, its a fitting time to champion these often overlooked benefits of our local book house, and to recognise the antidote to WFH life, that these community spaces represent.
Libraries, after all, aren’t just about the books…any more than they are just for people who like (or need) to read.
They’re a bricks and mortar metaphor for healthy headspace, and something that we need more than ever right now, to help shelve the weight of all those daily stresses and distractions… even if only for one short chapter.
Comments