We find ourselves in a type of dystopian state brought upon by the usage and advances of our technological state. Ruled by handheld machines (on which you are probably reading this), it seems we are living in some altered Terminator state. There is one thing that remains relatively untouched, untethered by the technological succubus that has seduced all of us, and that is the library.

When was the last time you went to the library? No, I don’t mean that new bar downtown called the Library that serves you drinks called the Tequila Mockingbird and the Pitcher of Dorian Grey Goose. I am talking about the public library that is filled with thousands of pieces of paper filled with information, knowledge, and some of the best relationships you could ever create.

What the library offers you is a break from this hellish reality we are all living in and gives you an escape into a different world. A world of Middle Earth, World War II, Captain Underpants, or even into the bedroom with a certain Christian Grey. Whatever your pleasure, the library can quench your thirst for knowledge. The library is a safe haven that affords one the peace and quiet that many seem to lack in their daily lives.

An excuse I often hear people make is that they are not confident or a fast reader, so they don’t do it. This thinking is preposterous; it is simply an excuse to refuse to apply oneself to something. Reading slow or fast makes no difference; everyone is going to get a different viewpoint. No one is judging you for reading slowly--read something you enjoy and feed your creativity. By not reading, you’re limiting yourself, and to continue a search for knowledge is a life worth living.

If you’re reading this, and you have children or look after children, I want to implore you to take them to a library. It is a place of mystery and wonder to a child, and the amount of resources that libraries utilize for children can be a missed opportunity. You must feed a child’s creativity, and the library is one of the greatest places to do this; it gives them a facet to place all of their energy into imagination.

September is Library Card Sign-up Month made possible by the ALA (American Library Association), and if you do not have a library card, please go to your local library and sign up for one. By signing up, you’ve gained a reliable asset that not everyone has the resources or ability to receive, and you are essentially saying no to free knowledge when you do not sign up. Library cards are good for many years, so you don’t have to keep renewing them over and over, and many libraries offer online account management.

The library is a place full of knowledge, shelves upon shelves, pages upon pages of hundreds and thousands of years of the written word. It is a free asset that anyone has access to and is one of the most underappreciated places. Find a library near you, pick up a book, and get lost in your imagination.