Books are an enduring part of global culture and have been around for millennium. Yet as important as they are, they certainly seem to be disappearing among the Millennials of the 21st century. Perhaps no place is better suited to witness the seeming decline of books than in our own school library, or our “media center.” I went down there to get an answer for the following important – and perhaps telling – question: “Do North Atlanta students still check books out of the school library?”

Throughout the centuries, books have been a central storage for human knowledge. They allow us to understand life in the past and how to improve from it. But with technological progress, are we seeing the end of the book era? “I frequently see the same kids come into the library for novels. But the most books ever checked in a week is 10,” said media specialist Felicia Stewart.

However more books may be checked out of our library than one might believe. Media specialist Lori McCall said that more than 4,000 books were checked out last year.

While there is a vast array of information available online, books are now regarded as a chore, a reading task only taken on when required for a class. “I haven’t checked out a book since my teacher last made us. It’s sad to say, but it’s true,” said junior Regan Nesbit.

While high school requires we use books, it could be said that our curriculum dissuades students from reading for pleasure. It’s because of challenges that include excessive work assigned by some teachers, not to mention the overall addictive nature of social media and Netflix. Nowadays many would rather binge watch than get lost in a novel.

Another factor that you can say adds to a student’s hiatus from reading could be access to the library. With an eight-minute time frame between classes, it can be hard to squeeze any time in a schedule to peruse the library’s book collection for any light reading. Lunch offers no help either since students don’t get enough time to do much beyond scarfing down their food in the cafeteria. “Check out a book? Ha. I haven’t gone to the library much on my own during high school at all,” said junior Sam McCollum.

When we look upon the noble men and women who wrote these books, we see individuals whose lives revolved around books. Once a popular pastime, reading for pleasure now seems on the decline. But perhaps we should all saunter down to the school library to bring such a habit back. Consider the following quote by author Oscar Wilde: “It is what you read when you don’t have to that determines what you will be when you can’t help it.”