From Enid Blyton to Google: Why ‘cathedrals of thought’ still matter in a noisy world

Some say libraries are dying; I say they’re just getting quieter, while slyly plotting their comeback!

My earliest memory of a library goes back to St Joseph’s school and college, Allahabad — I was probably in Grade 6 or 7. There was a proper, central library, and two or three cupboards were allocated to each grade. A bespectacled, serious-looking librarian sat in one corner, keeping a vigilant eye. From those shelves, I devoured every Enid Blyton book I could find. There was also the thrilling Biggles series, which convinced me I might one day fly secret missions over enemy territory. And, of course, Secret Seven inspired several earnest, if slightly misguided, crime-fighting adventures in the school corridors. I often finished entire books in a single sitting, flushed with excitement, oblivious to the outside world.

Then came The Boys’ High School, also in Allahabad, where I studied from Grade 8 onwards. Its dusty, upstairs library was a different universe. Large but forgotten, it offered more mischief than serious reading. Books tumbled from shelves, paper planes soared, minor scuffles erupted, and football sometimes made a brief appearance in the aisles. I remember once attempting to reach a high shelf for a particularly old volume, only to send a small avalanche of encyclopedias crashing to the floor. With no permanent librarian seated there, it was free for all.

In 1981, I moved to teach at The Bishop’s School, Pune. The library there was a large, bright, airy sanctuary. Staff and boys flocked to read newspapers, books, or plan the evening’s movie. Staff occasionally debated the odds for the afternoon’s horse racing at the Pune racecourse. Getting a quiet weekend moment was a challenge, yet I spent hours poring over encyclopedias — Encyclopedia Britannica, World Book Encyclopedia, and The New Book of Knowledge. These volumes became my research companions, helping me teach Shakespeare’s plays and poems to Grades 9 and 10, long before Google made such information effortlessly accessible. The librarian was a friend so I could have more books issued in my name and keep them longer.

Then the internet and Google arrived. Slowly, quietly, it changed everything. The change of pace has been rapid, and it continues unabated. With AI now taking over the world, who knows what’s in store for us in the years ahead. Over the past decade, library usage has dropped by roughly a third, as instant access to information replaced the ritual of wandering aisles, searching for that one special book and flipping pages. Yet libraries are far from obsolete. Many people maintain home libraries, surrounding themselves with books for comfort, curiosity, and the joy of discovery.

Reading remains one of the most wonderful, slightly underestimated pastimes. Despite all that is available online, I still enjoy the ‘feel’ of a good book. It entertains, sharpens the mind, broadens perspectives, and keeps one alert. Libraries, however, are more than repositories of information. They nurture imagination, cultivate wisdom, and quietly demand focus in a noisy world. There is something sacred about a good library — a stillness that allows ideas to bloom, mischief to simmer, and minds to wander freely.

For those of us who grew up among Blyton, Biggles, and dusty encyclopedias, libraries will always remain sacred — cathedrals of thought, knowledge, and, yes, a little mischievous fun too. Even in the age of instant answers, these quiet sanctuaries plot their comeback, reminding us that some treasures are best discovered between the shelves.

Michael Guzder is Senior Vice-President of Education at GEMS and a former Principal.