September 11 marks Library Remembrance Day, honouring lost libraries
Library Remembrance Day on September 11 recalls libraries lost to war, disaster and fire, and calls for protecting books and records for future generations.
September 11 is observed around the world as Library Remembrance Day, marking the loss of the world's rich libraries over the course of human history to war, natural disaster, attacks or fire.
From the historic library of Nalanda University to several rare libraries of the modern era, whenever libraries have come under attack, it has not been books alone that were lost. Human intellect, history and cultural treasures have been reduced to ashes with them. The day is an occasion to remember these tragic events and learn from them.
The day is a reminder that libraries are not merely rooms with paper pages or racks full of books. Libraries are a living form of human knowledge, freedom of thought, democratic values and civilisation. When a library is saved, an entire generation's ideas and experience are preserved with it.
On Library Remembrance Day, special programmes are held at many schools, colleges, universities and public libraries. Special exhibitions of rare handwritten documents and historical books are organised, along with discussions, seminars and lectures on subjects such as the preservation of libraries and the use of modern technology.
These programmes are meant to make ordinary people, students and readers aware of the need to protect libraries. The key message conveyed through them is that preserving books, digitally saving historical records and keeping the habit of reading alive is not the responsibility of the government or librarians alone, but a duty of every section of society.
In the digital age, information is available in abundance, yet libraries remain the biggest source of authentic and genuine information. Digital data can be corrupted or tampered with, but history preserved in the form of books remains safe across generations. Saving books and records means building a rich, cultured and intellectually strong society for future generations.
Library Remembrance Day symbolises the idea that the light of knowledge must never be allowed to go out. It is a confluence of culture, education, history and human memory. In today's modern age, everyone must be committed to enriching libraries further, expanding facilities there, and keeping alive the love of reading.
