THE SCHOOL LIBRARY
A library is a collection of books. But it is not a book-shop, for it does not sell books. It is a temple of learning. In the past, people had to go to a teacher to learn from him. But how easy and cheap it is to get knowledge and wisdom today!
Today you can find libraries almost everywhere. These libraries are of two kinds – private and public. A private or personal library has books of the choice of only one person. So, it is not useful to all. But public libraries are meant for all. They have books to suit different tastes. Our schools and colleges, too, have libraries of their own. Such libraries are meant for students and teachers only. So, they have a wide variety of books.
A library is, therefore, a sacred place. You must have respect for this sacred place. It is not a fit place for talks or discussions. It is a place for serious studies. But one thing should never be forgotten. No library by itself has ever produced a Newton or a Tulsidas. A library can help you to some extent. But it cannot carry you very far. It cannot make you a poet or a scientist or a thinker if you do not study the great “Book of Life and Nature”. A great thinker thinks for himself. He does not see with the eyes of others.
Great books or great writers can only open your eyes. But they cannot see for you. You have to see things for yourself. If you only copy others you can be a scholar, but not a great thinker. A library very often makes you a book-worm. So, you have sometimes to come out of the library and move about a bee. Then and then alone can you give honey to the world.
