College libraries are the homes to unopened books and sleep-deprived students. My mom has always told me how back when she was in college she would have to go to the library and search through countless books in order to find information for a paper, or even search an encyclopedia to find simple facts about a person’s life. The plethora of books in the library provided her with all the information she needed. I don’t know about you, but I have never even looked in one of Vanderbilt’s countless encyclopedias for information. This is due to my good friend Wikipedia. With the rise of the Internet, the library has become less of a place that people go to find books, and more a destination for people looking for an environment to facilitate their ability to study without distractions. Although the Internet has replaced the demand for books, college libraries have adapted to the changing technologies to continue to provide a studious destination on campuses.
The decline in people finding books in the library is directly related to the rise in the Internet. When I go to the library, I often have to write an essay such as this one, or study for a test. Historically, it would make sense for me to go to the library because of the millions of books and endless information surrounding me. However, I can’t recall the last time I came to the library to check out a book. As a matter of fact, the only time I’ve ever checked out a book from the library was for my freshman year writing seminar. The reason for this is because there are literally millions of sources all available on one screen: my computer.
In college today, students have found a way to skip the age-old process of reading an actual informational book, in favor of finding a website providing consolidated information directly related to their topic. All you have to do is have Internet connection, and know how to search Google in order to find all the information you could ever need for a research paper. Furthermore, with a book the most specific information you can get without reading the whole thing is the table of contents. Where, best-case scenario, you can get a rough estimate of what range of pages the information you’re looking for is in. Compare this to the Internet where you can find the exact sentences or even exact word you’re looking for with the click of a button. Simply use the ‘command+ f’ function in order to search an entire document and the magic of the Internet will show you exactly where that word appears in the text. Because of this, just about every student uses the Internet as their primary source for obtaining information. With the simplicity of finding research on the Internet, students have changed the purpose for going to the library.
Libraries have adapted in order to provide continuing utility to students. Although people may not be going to the library for its vast array of books and knowledge, they still go to the library to find the knowledge. I often go to the library and search for information on the Internet that could also be found in a book in the library. The reason for this is because of the quiet study rooms, and academic environment. When doing this, I am not saying that I hate books; rather I am using my time economically to find the information I need with the maximum efficiency. The end result is still the same though, I went to the library, and found the necessary information I need for my class. Thus, although library books are less used, people are still going to the libraries because of the academic environment that allows them to use their time efficiently without distractions.
Students often see the library as the place that nobody wants to be in, yet everyone inevitably ends up in. No matter how much I like studying in the comfort of my room, there is no way I can argue that studying in my room is as efficient as going to the library. Maybe its because in the library there isn’t a comfortable bed constantly tempting me to stop studying and go to bed, or a TV begging to be turned on, but the library is without a doubt more efficient for studying. I think that this is less because it is quiet, but more because if you look around just about everyone else is in the same boat as you are trying desperately to finish their work. It is in this capacity that the library provides itself as a vital part of our campus that, as much as people hate going there, is beneficial and helpful.
I like how you narrowed down your topic to college students because it makes your topic very relevant and relatable to your readers—I think we all can read your paper and nod and say, “Yeah, I get that.” However, right now most of your essay is based upon your personal experience and I think that some numbers/facts could really help strengthen your argument. Yes, this is an issue we see every day but is it really serious enough to be considered an issue? Or are we seeing a very skewed perception of it? I also think your thesis could be clearer in the beginning. It seems that you start off arguing that college students use libraries less because we have online sources and then you deviate to say that libraries are good for the environment. If you include that in your thesis earlier on, it can be clearer for the reader. As a side note, I wouldn’t use Wikipedia as your reason for not looking in an encyclopedia—even though it seems small, it’s not a credible source and some readers may discredit you a little for implying that it may be.
Michael, I liked your choice of topic for libraries. I think an explicit thesis about the argument you were going for at the end of your first paragraph would have been beneficial. Something about how libraries are being redefined as a new space in our current generation. You seem to be developing two points that are interwoven between your body paragraphs. This can be kind of confusing when the reader tries to explicitly separate the points you are making. I would suggest making it clear what your point is at the beginning of the body paragraph and sticking to it the entire time. I liked your last paragraph because that’s when your argument became very clear, but I feel like you could make it clear at the beginning as well. Overall, I liked your topic and your points, but I feel that a little more organization would help the reader out a lot.
I really like the argument of your essay. However, I do think it has the tendency to get a little repetitive. The first and second paragraphs have a lot of the same points. I think this can be remedied by removing parts of the first paragraph and making it just a short statement of your argument and then adding the details in the second paragraph. I think just in general rereading each paragraph and making sure each sentence provides a novel idea would be useful. You have a lot of interesting points, just don’t overuse them! Good job!