On Libraries
Oliver Sacks
Oliver Sacks' essay "On Libraries" is a heartfelt tribute to the importance of intellectual freedom, community, and the joy of discovering something unexpected. Sacks, a renowned neurologist and author, reflects on how libraries shaped his mind and spirit throughout his life.
Sacks' essay is a heartfelt reflection on the irreplaceable value of libraries and books, both in his own life and in society at large. He argues that digital books, while convenient, cannot replicate the profound experience of handling and reading a physical book, nor can they replace the centuries of knowledge contained within traditional libraries.
As a child, Sacks was drawn to his family's home library, a large, oak-paneled room filled with books. This room was a special place for him, where his father, a Hebrew scholar, kept his books, and where the works of Ibsen, poets of his father's generation, and adventure books belonging to his older brothers were housed. Sacks fondly recalls discovering "The Jungle Book" there, identifying with Mowgli and using the story as a springboard for his own imagination.
His mother also had her own collection of favorite books, including works by Dickens, Trollope, Thackeray, and Bernard Shaw, as well as a set of Kipling's books. The family's medical books were kept in a locked cabinet, though the key was always within reach. The library was Sacks' sanctuary (holy place), where he could lose himself in a book for hours, often forgetting the time.
However, the public library in Willesden held an even more special place in Sacks' heart. It was here that he spent countless happy hours during his childhood, just a short walk from his home. Sacks disliked the passive learning of school and instead thrived in the library, where he could actively explore and learn about whatever fascinated him. The freedom to choose his own path and immerse himself in books made the library a place where he could truly be himself.
As Sacks grew older, his interest in science, especially astronomy and chemistry, deepened. While his school library had a good collection, it couldn't satisfy his hunger for more specialized knowledge. With a recommendation from a teacher, Sacks gained access to the Science Museum library, where he devoured comprehensive chemistry texts. Later, at Oxford, he had the privilege of using two great libraries: the Radcliffe Science Library and the Bodleian Library. It was in the Bodleian that Sacks discovered the works of Theodore Hook, an obscure (not discovered or known about) 19th-century writer, and began working on a biography of him.
Among the libraries Sacks used at Oxford, his favorite was the one at Queen’s College. Designed by Christopher Wren, the library was a treasure trove (a store of valuable things) of ancient books, including works by Darwin and Sir Thomas Browne. Sacks was deeply moved by the sense of history and the richness of language he encountered in these books.
When Sacks moved to New York City in 1965, he struggled with a small apartment that lacked space for reading and writing. Fortunately, the library at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, where he worked, provided the spaciousness he craved. There, Sacks would read, write, and explore the stacks, often stumbling upon unexpected treasures. The library was a place of quiet camaraderie (fellowship), where readers shared a sense of community even as they immersed themselves in their own worlds.
However, by the 1990s, Sacks noticed a shift. More and more students were using computers instead of books, and the college eventually decided to dispose of many of the physical books. Sacks was shocked and saddened by this loss, feeling that something irreplaceable (incomparable) had been destroyed. He mourned the disappearance of physical books, which had always been a source of inspiration and comfort to him.
In this essay, Sacks not only reflects on his personal experiences with libraries but also laments the broader decline of physical books in the digital age. His deep love for libraries and the role they played in his life is evident throughout the essay, making it a powerful testament to the enduring value of books and the spaces that house them.
SHORT SUMMARY:
In his essay "On Libraries," Oliver Sacks reflects on his deep connection with libraries and the importance of intellectual freedom and community. The essay is both a tribute to libraries and a personal recount of how they shaped his life as a reader, writer, and thinker.
Oliver Sacks grew up surrounded by books, thanks to a library in his home filled with his father's collection, which included works by the Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen. His father, a Hebrew scholar, passed on his love for literature to Oliver, whose passion for reading began at a very young age. The library contained a mix of poetry, adventure stories, and medical books, which fueled Sacks' curiosity and learning.
From an early age, Sacks was captivated by stories like Rudyard Kipling's The Jungle Book and developed a deep interest in science, especially chemistry. He was an active and independent learner, often spending hours in his family's library, as well as public libraries like the Willesden Public Library in London. He preferred the freedom of reading and learning in these libraries to the more structured and passive education provided by formal schools.
As a student, Sacks frequented prestigious libraries such as the Radcliffe Science Library and the Bodleian Library at Oxford, where he delved (searched) into a wide range of subjects, from astronomy to the works of 17th and 18th-century writers. His love for books continued into adulthood, even as he pursued a career in medicine. He was awarded a scholarship to study at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York, where he continued to read and write extensively, despite the challenges of his small apartment.
In the 1990s, Sacks noticed a shift in how students were accessing information, with computers beginning to replace bookshelves in libraries. This trend troubled him deeply, as he believed that the physical presence of books held a unique power to inspire and educate. He lamented the loss of physical books, which he saw as an irreplaceable reservoir (lake) of knowledge, and was pained by the destruction of so many valuable volumes.
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