I have always loved going to the library. In elementary school, it was for reading books, and in junior high and high school, it was my escape from school. When I go there, I feel nostalgic, and at the same time, I remember my painful school days and feel a little sad.
I have mentioned before that when I travel somewhere abroad, I try to stop by the library whenever I can. I also like to see the universities themselves (in the U.S., most famous schools are like tourist attractions and have guided tours by student volunteers). When I visit a university, I inevitably see the library as well.
And what I have learned from looking around is that a library is a true representation of the cultural power of an area or organization.
Of all the libraries I have visited so far, if we limit ourselves to universities, the libraries at Yale University and Harvard University are stately and magnificent buildings, like scenes from a movie, and truly overwhelming to the senses.
Yale University in particular was so ingenious in the way it presented its books, with such beautiful displays that I thought the books were lined up amongst contemporary works of art.
Compared to this, Japanese university libraries, unfortunately, seem to be completely outmatched. In fact, Japanese universities do not even allow us to visit their libraries.
And although e-books are now quite popular, there is something exceptional about the presence of paper books on display. It is said that in Europe not long ago, a paper book with a recent portrait of a person was used as a substitute for identification in case of emergency. That is how much respect and reverence was paid to books.
The difference between Japan and other countries may be due to the difference in the origin of libraries. In Japan, the main purpose of a library is not to accumulate culture, but rather to provide books for people to borrow and read. Libraries in other countries were research institutions and sparked Hellenistic and other cultures, just as the Library of Alexandria was in ancient times, whereas libraries in Japan do not seem to have been the birthplace of any culture.
However, I think that libraries, especially those in towns, should have more unique features than just being able to read magazines, newspapers, and new books for free. I think it would be nice if there were more special features unique to that library.
Books that can only be read in this library, an atmosphere and program that cannot be experienced anywhere else, and a collection of books that makes people want to come all the way from afar to visit.
It might be a little like an art museum. If a place like the Ghibli Museum had a collection of books based on the works of Ghibli, I would definitely want to pick them up and read them.
Recently, I think bookstores like Tsutaya in Daikanyama are becoming more and more like this.
The act of searching for and reading a book itself, along with the atmosphere of the building, is something to be enjoyed.
The current trend away from books may be due in part to the lack of entertainment value that makes people want to read books.
See you soon!
