Children need libraries. Maybe they do not need them for research purposes. The World Wide Web is a good place for that. In todays world though, they need somewhere they can go to forget for a little while. Books can do that. They need somewhere to learn fundamentals, a library can do that.

In a book they can be a princess waiting to be rescued by their prince or ruling an entire country. They can be a knight slaying dragons or a cowboy in the wild west. Happy ever afters can happen in books, no matter what war our country is in or what is going on at their school or home.

Some people might say that they could just watch Television and movies for those happy ever afters. In movies and television though it is already decided what everything will look like, nothing is left to the imagination.

In a book children can make everything just the way they want it. There palace can be a million rooms all built out of platinum or cupcakes even. A place where they can wear the dress they have always wanted. They can slay a neon green dragon or own a blue dog. Most everything in a book is left to the imagination.

Some would say they do not want their kids heads in the clouds. To this I would say would parents rather their children be moping around at age seven because they know they will never amount to anything and that is the best it will get? Through books they learn hard work and determination. For example The Little Engine That Could teaches kids that if you believe in yourself and try hard you can do anything.

Not only are libraries important and needed for books but also for the fundamentals it teaches. In a library children have to be quiet. This shows them that they do not have to be running around screaming to have fun.

A library also shows them organization. For example the card catalog is an organized filing system where they can find what they are looking for in three ways. The look up a book by author, title, and subject. Also all the books are organized by the Dewey Decimal System, fiction, non-fiction, biographies, auto-biographies. These organizational tools can help children find their niche.

Books show children they can be anyone. They can be pirates or captors. They could be a brave prisoner of war or a heroic soldier. With books the possibilities become limitless. So where can they find books? In libraries where they can also learn fundamentals. They learn organizational skills and that silence can actually be golden. They learn that they can actually be anyone and happiness can really happen. Children need libraries.

Learn more about this author, Rikki Castrechino.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.

---

Add your voice

Know something about What place do libraries have in our education system today, considering the rise in Internet-based research??
We want to hear your view. Write now!