WHY IS IT NECESSARY TO HAVE A PERSONAL LIBRARY?

To begin, let's look at at the phrase, "personal library." Quite explanatory, I must say. In simple terms, we can say personal library is your collection of books. Books you read some time ago or the ones you buy in order to read in the future, basically your own kind of books.

So why is it necessary to have a personal library? Is it even necessary to have one? Let's see if we can find an answer with some scenarios in view. Here we go:

Scenario 1: You're going through a situation in which you remember there was a book you read some time ago concerning the situation you are in at the moment. You look around your room, and the book is not there because you didn't think there was a need to buy a copy just in case.

Scenario 2: You're always going over to your friend to borrow one book today and another, tomorrow. Let's say this friend of yours is quite generous, so he/she doesn't mind so long as you return the books in good shape. One day, something happens and the borrowed book tears, burns or gets missing. Yeah, you can tell the outcome of that!

Scenario 3: You become a parent and you tell you kids, "read books" but there's an issue. There are no books at home for them to read and mom and dad don't read, so they lack motivation. You either have to go the public library all the time to borrow or you painstakingly buy at every point when you should have stocked your house with books, at least to motivate them to read.

With the above scenarios, do we still need to ask the question, "Is having a personal library necessary?" No, I don't think so, but let's answer it anyways. Yes, it is imperative to have a personal library. If not for anything, for convenience sake. Let's check out scenario 1 again. If you had the book at your beck and call, in your shelf or locker, all you would have to do is to pull it out, open the chapter or page you need for that particular situation and holla, your answer is right in front of you.

So having a personal library saves you the stress of brainstorming and asking questions like, "what did this book say about this thing again?" "I know I have read something like this before," "Chei, I wish I had book that book!" etc. So, save yourself the headache and get the book for future references.

From the above, isn't it quite inconveniencing going over to borrow all the time, when you can actually have your own copy? I mean, you would be able to mark or highlight some key points, fold that particular page, tick a paper in between. You can do anything with your own copy and no one will ask you why. Even if they do, it's none of their business! With your personal library, you'll be freer to do whatever you wish with your books.

Now, this is an important part and I'll be addressing it in two ways;
1) You Need To Buy Books For Posterity's Sake: With this in mind, you would have the consciousness that your library isn't just for you but for those in your life - your friends, your colleagues, you mates and your children, especially your children. It has been observed that children who grow up surrounded by books and reading parents become more knowledgeable than those who didn't have any of these. They are motivated to read more and better than their peers. So, think about your child as you build your personal library.

2) Someone once said to me, "I want to buy this book. Even if I don't read it, my children will." In as much as I really wanted her to buy the book, I also wanted her to know why she should buy it as well. So I said to her, "imagine your child comes to meet you asking you what a particular book is about and you're like, "I haven't actually read it, I only bought it. How does that sound?" The point is, don't just gather books in the name of owning a personal library, or to become a book person or in the name of "let me just sha have books, even if it's one." No! No!! No!!! Buy books you will read. Gather books you have read. Keep books you can tell the next person its contents, books you can defend. That's what makes a personal library.

Alright, so let's make the established facts clearer. Personal library is necessary for the following:

1) For reference sake.
2) For convenience sake.
3) For posterity sake.
4) For knowledge sake and other "sakes" you may know.
Thanks.

Teacher: Amadi Jeniffer Chioma