Taking A Stand – Today I Wrote To The Local Library

I love libraries. I think they are magical and full of possibilities. I borrow books frequently and at my local library, you can also request books that you would like them to buy for the library.

Last week I requested quite a few books that I would like to borrow. Most of them were turned down, but a few of them they decided to purchase. They reserved them for me and arranged for me to be the first one to read them. That made me feel great.

But one thing that they said, and have said in the past, bothered me. They didn’t want to buy the books in English. They thought it was enough that we have the Swedish versions available. So I decided to respond to their email.

Writing the email

I began by thanking them for purchasing a few of the books I requested. And then I told them I hope they decide to purchase more English books for the library. Especially for teenagers and children. I expressed that while we speak Swedish here, learning English is essential. Especially for young people. And while they are surrounded by apps and social media, grammar is often very poor online.

The same goes for TV series and movies, since subtitles are often generated these days. Some agencies do pay for them, but many of them they pay far less than the minimum rate and give the jobs to people who barely comprehend either language or know how to transcribe. Either way, the result is the same.

Reading books is a magical thing and when you find a book you like, you don’t realise how much you are learning while you are reading it. We don’t learn enough in school and what we are taught is taught in a way that only works for a select few. Taking responsibility for your own learning is essential, but far from every person can afford to buy books in English or have the space to store them. I expressed this and told them that reading books in English was immensely helpful for me when I was learning English.

Linguistics

It was already important to know English when I was a teenager and that was a long time ago. Today you can hardly do anything if you can’t speak English. So we should make the lives of our young easier by making sure they have access to English books in the local libraries. Books that capture their interest and can teach them grammar, increase their vocabulary and make them more fluent all while they’re enjoying a good story.

I ended the email by thanking them again and that was that. I don’t know what will come of it, but I am glad I did it.

Creating positive change

I have decided to request a few more books. To be specific, children’s books teach children about LGBTQIA, about different kinds of families, about people of colour, about mental health, about people with disabilities and books that are body-positive.

I want to make sure that the books that are available at the libraries contribute to making children and teens feel seen and heard. It is absolutely essential that they know there are others like them out there, that they have a community and that they have a place in the world.

We must do more to prevent young people from sinking deep into depression and unaliving themselves, and to do that, we have to make sure they don’t feel like they are alone in the world. To make sure they have access to books that will help them find a greater sense of community and belonging is the least we can do. It isn’t enough, but it’s a start.

We can’t change everything alone, but we can always change something.

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