PlainGeets

Bibliothèque. A place to store books. The suffix -thèque comes from the Greek thḗkē, meaning box or chest, and is used in a long list of words, ranging from the international discotheque to vinothèque or oenothèque [a place to sell wine]. A bibliothèque (library ), though, is so much more than just a place where you find books. A place of learning, and research. The home of the scholarly, but also of the bookworm. A place to lose oneself in the accumulated wisdom of humanity. A refuge for some. A place to hide from existential worries, and lose oneself in the wonderful world of books.

“Libraries store the energy that fuels the imagination. They open up windows to the world and inspire us to explore and achieve, and contribute to improving our quality of life.”

– Sidney Sheldon

In a nutshell, libraries are portals to a world of magic, knowledge, and imagination. Libraries stand as a beacon of literary treasures, preserving historical documents, rare manuscripts, and diverse collections that enrich the global heritage. Their magic lies in the power to spark curiosity, expand horizons, and shape minds, making them cherished sanctuaries of human achievement and wisdom.

If libraries like the Bibliothèque Nationale Française in Paris are created to awe and inspire with their captivating architecture, large hallowed halls, and cosy, wood-panelled reading rooms, it’s the public libraries that have the biggest impact, by fostering a sense of community and learning. Some like the Toronto public library, and the site Richelieu of the  Bibliothèque Nationale Française (BNF) also offer aesthetic delights with their special rooms, like the Sherlock Homes room in the Toronto public library. 

Growing up, I was a member of one library or the other. The school library of course, but also the neighbourhood libraries, where I was notorious for trying to borrow more than one book a day. Then came the university library with its endless dusty aisles of books that I felt scared to pull out, lest they fall apart in my hands. Books that held the key to a good paper for my class, but also the key to long hours lost in the different worlds described in them. Those were the years when I was also frequenting the British Council library, and boy, was that a striking contrast! Housed in Mittal Towers, a multi-towered complex of offices, the library offered a different sort of comfort. With nary a speck of dust on the shelves, its air-conditioned rooms also offered respite from the muggy heat of Mumbai, and I always spent a few minutes recovering from the train-and-shared-taxi journey before diving into the books, and starting my research work. All these libraries were replaced by the bibliothèques of the Alliance française network, adding a new dimension to my relation with libraries. Bibliothèques expanded from being places of learning, to places of professional development. I found myself borrowing books to upgrade myself, find activities for class, and improve my French. In the last few years though, libraries have been reinstated in my life as places of discoveries in the world of books.

From the Bibliothèque Municipale Internationale in Grenoble to the BNF, libraries have come back into my life and opened up new horizons of learning, and enchantment. The BNF itself has been responsible for several exceptional experiences, starting from the Tolkien and the Pastiches in Press exhibitions, to the iconic Salle Ovale of the BNF, which not only has 20,000 books available for visitors to read (for free), but also provides a beautiful setting for digital nomads like me to work (Don’t judge me!). Libraries are a reminder of the good things in the world. With each new visit to a library, I feel more enriched with the magical power of books that open up the world to me, under a single roof.