Libraries have held an importance in connecting people, improving literacy, and supporting education for decades.

The ability to have access to educational and entertaining content is crucial for all people and generations. Libraries are an affordable way to achieve this however, with the increase of internet usage and smartphones, the amount of people reading books declines.

Social media highly contributes to the emergence of false information, engaging with a post that displays incorrect material can lead to more views and the eventual diffusion it. Libraries contain many reliable sources that have very small a likelihood of being false.

“Social media does not always present an unbiased look at information,” Lindsay Nalley, the campus Librarian, said. “A lot of the times when you find something on social media or even on google you may only be seeing one side of something. A library can provide you with access to information that’s reliable, credible, and written by experts.”

Supporting libraries and reading books while they decrease in popularity is essential to stop the spread of misinformation due to social media. Books are a simple but powerful way to protect knowledge and truth and libraries provide an easy outlet to them.

If reading isn’t your thing, libraries have more to offer such as audiobooks, CDs/vinyls, quiet study areas, and computers, all of which can provide opportunities to learn and discover new hobbies.

With that being said, libraries keep the truth alive in the form of books and research databases, they preserve history and continue legacies which are all important factors for life today and in the future.

Libraries local to you:

1. Tomball Community Library – 30555 Tomball Pkwy, Tomball TX 77375
2. George and Cynthia Woods Mitchell Library – 8125 Ashlane Way, The Woodlands, TX 77382
3. Malcolm Purvis Library – Magnolia – 510 Melton St, Magnolia, TX 77354
4. Lanier Theological Library – 14130 Hargrave Rd, Houston, TX 77070

If none of these locations are accessible, the library in the school is a great place to visit during Cougar Block or before/after school.