University of Washington Libraries, Special Collections
When I was in second grade, we moved to Centerville, Iowa, to a big, old house on Main Street. I'll never forget my first visit to the library there: I made my way up a cracked sidewalk to a tiny, somewhat dimly lit building where a nice older lady showed me around the rows and rows of books. I had recently discovered The Wonderful Flight to the Mushroom Planet by Eleanor Cameron at school, and I was about to find that there were countless more adventures to be had in books. I've loved libraries ever since.
I walked into the Graduate Reading Room at Suzzallo Library as a freshman at the University of Washington. It was absolutely silent. I looked up at the huge, arched ceilings and saw the globes hanging at each end. Across the red square at the other library, undergraduates like me could go listen to music, hang out with friends, or sleep even. Not here. Everyone in this place was learning, and surrounded by such a church-like atmosphere, reading books seemed practically sacred.
I still love books, but I also realize that times have changed. Perhaps more accurately, I have changed. I don't have four years to devote full-time to studying at a great institution like UW, but I sincerely want to be a "life long learner." I think I'm very fortunate to live in a time when so much information is available now in so many different formats. I remember reading through some of the Post-Nicene Fathers in order to write a ten-page paper during my sophomore year. I had to check out an ancient, oversize volume the "old fashioned way." Now, I can not only read all of those texts online, it's an easy matter to listen to them while I'm walking or driving. It's a tremendous advantage that opens up all kinds of possibilities.
Still, I'll never get over the feeling of opening up a dusty old hardback to unlock whatever treasures are inside. As far as I'm concerned, it doesn't have to be either/or: either old-school "book learnin'" or "reading" plugged into my iPod. I'm content to live in both worlds.
I walked into the Graduate Reading Room at Suzzallo Library as a freshman at the University of Washington. It was absolutely silent. I looked up at the huge, arched ceilings and saw the globes hanging at each end. Across the red square at the other library, undergraduates like me could go listen to music, hang out with friends, or sleep even. Not here. Everyone in this place was learning, and surrounded by such a church-like atmosphere, reading books seemed practically sacred.
I still love books, but I also realize that times have changed. Perhaps more accurately, I have changed. I don't have four years to devote full-time to studying at a great institution like UW, but I sincerely want to be a "life long learner." I think I'm very fortunate to live in a time when so much information is available now in so many different formats. I remember reading through some of the Post-Nicene Fathers in order to write a ten-page paper during my sophomore year. I had to check out an ancient, oversize volume the "old fashioned way." Now, I can not only read all of those texts online, it's an easy matter to listen to them while I'm walking or driving. It's a tremendous advantage that opens up all kinds of possibilities.
Still, I'll never get over the feeling of opening up a dusty old hardback to unlock whatever treasures are inside. As far as I'm concerned, it doesn't have to be either/or: either old-school "book learnin'" or "reading" plugged into my iPod. I'm content to live in both worlds.
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