Class 12 English Essay On Libraries Complete Guide (NEB New Syllabus) | Notes, Exercise Solutions & Summary | Literature
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Welcome to your premier destination for the Class 12 English Essay On Libraries academic syllabus. This complete online textbook companion offers fully resolved answers to all end-of-chapter questions and literature context exercises.

Through this comprehensive resource on Class 12 English Essay On Libraries, you will explore profound literary themes regarding the love of reading, self-education versus formal schooling, and the nostalgic importance of physical books in a digital era as narrated by Oliver Sacks.

To acquire more context on the author and his literary contributions depicted in the essay, you can explore the life and works of Oliver Sacks online.

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Class 12 English Essay On Libraries study notes

1. Class 12 English Essay On Libraries: Understanding the Text

Answer the following questions based on the essay.
a. Where could the author be found when he was late for lunch or dinner?
The author of the Class 12 English Essay On Libraries is none other than the greatest neurologist and literary figure, Oliver Sacks. His favorite room, which was very quiet and beautiful in his childhood house, was the oak-paneled library. His parents had vast libraries in the house. So whenever he was late for lunch or dinner, he could reliably be found absorbed in a book in the library.
b. What are his first memories?
Oliver was so inquisitive that he was constantly absorbed in a book in his favourite room of the library. He even used to get late for his lunch and dinner as he was found to be too absorbed in the books. He learnt to read early in the morning at 4 or 5 o’clock. The beautiful oak-paneled library and the profound presence of books are his very first childhood memories.
c. Why did he dislike school?
He disliked school because he didn’t like to passively obey instructions from the teachers. He gained better information and knowledge by actively exploring books in the libraries than from the formal school environment. He used to get excellent lessons from the libraries before the teachers even taught them in the class. He was not a good student but was a better independent learner. Thus, he disliked school because he liked to learn by himself in libraries, being completely free to choose books of his own choice.
d. What did he feel about at the library?
He felt wonderfully free when he was at the library. This is because he was free to choose any books of his interest out of thousands of available books. The atmosphere of the library was so comfortable and quiet that he happily roamed through the shelves and wondered at the books kept in them. He also used to deeply enjoy the quiet companionship of other readers who were all like him, engaged in the same intellectual quest.
e. Why was he so biased about sciences especially astronomy and chemistry?
He was biased about science, especially astronomy and chemistry, because of two primary reasons. The first reason was that almost all the children used to dream of being astronauts and exploring space at that time, so he must have wished to know deeply about it. The second reason was that as he got older, he only needed those specific scientific books which would directly support his academic studies.
f. Why did he become so fascinated by Hook?
He became so fascinated by Theodore Hook because he found the books written by him in the famous Bodleian library. Actually, Hook was greatly admired for his wit and his genius theatrical and musical improvisation. He was considered the greatest star in the nineteenth century for what he had done. Remarkably, he had composed more than five hundred operas on the spot.
g. Describe the library at the Queen’s College.
The Queen’s College is a constituent college of the University of Oxford, England. It has a magnificent building designed in the form of a palace by Christopher Wren, who was a great architect. Beneath the college, there were large underground rooms which housed the library. There were a vast number of bookshelves, and heating pipes were attached to the walls and corners to preserve the texts. The design of the library was highly classical, and original prints and editions of books from Gesner to Darwin were readily available.
h. Why did the students ignore the bookshelves in the 1990s?
The students increasingly ignored the physical bookshelves in the 1990s because they had gained rapid access to digitalized books. The easy access to books directly from their computers made them rarely go to the physical shelves. The physical books were no longer of their primary consideration, as they felt more comfortable with the new form of reading books on their electronic devices than walking through the library shelves.
i. Why was he horrified when he visited the library a couple of months ago?
He was utterly horrified when he visited the library a couple of months ago because the physical books from almost all public libraries were being thrown out of the shelves and aggressively digitized. Unfortunately, he didn’t know how to use computers well. The physical books, the wooden shelves, and the traditional libraries were gone one by one, and he was deeply saddened by the physical loss of centuries of tangible knowledge. Therefore, he was deeply horrified.

2. Class 12 English Essay On Libraries: Reference to the Context

a. The author says, “I was not a good pupil, but I was a good listener.” Justify it with the textual evidences.

‘On Libraries’ is an autobiographical essay by one of the 20th century’s greatest neurologists and authors, Oliver Sacks. In this essay, he describes his intimate experiences of going to libraries and how successful stories shaped his personality and made his life better. He describes how he developed his deep interest in visiting the libraries until he became a successful figure and how he was deeply affected by the tragic loss of books in the libraries during the 1990s.

Oliver Sacks says, “I was not a good pupil, but I was a good listener.” That’s incredibly true for his life. He was always absorbed in the books in the library where he got his real education. When he was in school, he sat in the classrooms, merely listening to teachers, but he couldn’t be convinced by what he wanted in depth from them. He listened to them through one ear and blew away their sayings from the other ear. However, it doesn’t mean he wasn’t mentally active in the class. He was not passive either.

In terms of doing standard exercises and submitting assignments, he himself considered that he was not a good student (pupil), but he deeply listened to them. Besides going to school, he preferably spent most of his time in the library, where he enhanced his skill of gaining knowledge from additional books. He used to search for the things that he listened to from the teachers, compared the lectures with library findings, and noted down the conclusions in his copies and into his mind. This kind of keen interest in reading in the library made him a good reader and learner, even though he considered himself a poor student in the rigid classroom environment.


b. A proverb says, “Nothing is pleasanter than exploring a library.” Does this proverb apply in the essay? Explain.

The given proverb, “Nothing is pleasanter than exploring a library,” is quite appropriate and deeply applicable for the essay Class 12 English Essay On Libraries. Nothing is more satisfying than reading a book in a library with a literal companion. Oliver Sacks was a dedicated bookworm who used to spend a vast amount of time in different libraries in different places.

He actively disliked formal school, sitting in class, and receiving rigid instruction; verbal information seemed to go in one ear and out by the other. He had to be active, learn for himself, learn exactly what he wanted, and in the way which suited him best. So he joyfully roamed the shelves and stacks of the libraries, cherishing the absolute freedom to select whatever he wanted. His book reading started from his own library at home. All of his family members loved reading books, and he was grown up in that intellectual environment. The oak-paneled library at his own home was his absolute favourite room. Instead of going to formal school, he preferred to read freely in the library. He especially enjoyed the library environment and the quiet, focused companions of other readers. Best of all, he wanted to sit at the library table with a massive pile of books in front of him. Therefore, he said that he was not a good pupil, but was a good listener who explored different libraries to gain knowledge for his own academic excellence. Hence, the above proverb perfectly fits this essay.


c. Are there any other services that you would like to see added to the library?

Yes, there are some other modern and practical services that I would like to see added to the public library system. First, I would prefer different dedicated rooms for different age groups such as children, young adults, and aged people because they prefer books most likely suited to their interests and age brackets. The elders may like to read about the environment, nature, and culture in peace; the aged people may like to read books related to politics, ethics, and philosophy quietly; and the kids would need a vibrant space to read stories and comics.

The other thing I would like to see added in the library is a robust security surveillance camera system. Many people unfortunately tear the books or even take them away without checking them out, due to which other dedicated readers are heavily affected. Hence, to prevent these bad activities in the library, surveillance cameras should be properly fitted. Good, ergonomic furniture to read books on is also an essential thing to be added to the library, as readers may feel bored or physically strained reading on hard tables. So, a small garden or reading patio in the backyard of the library may be very useful to remove the reader’s tiredness and provide fresh air. I would also warmly like to see a small cafe added to the library because people who love reading for long hours in the library may get hungry; then they can enjoy reading while eating something that quenches their hunger without having to leave the premises. These are certain practical services that I would like to see added to the modern library.

3. Class 12 English Essay On Libraries: Reference Beyond the Text

a. Write an essay on Libraries and its uses for students.

(Here is an example essay on libraries and their uses, written by Dipika:)

Libraries and its Uses for Students

A library is a sacred place where books and diverse sources of information are safely stored. They make it significantly easier for people to get access to them for various educational and personal purposes. Libraries are very helpful and highly economical too. They include books, magazines, newspapers, DVDs, historical manuscripts, and much more. In other words, they are an all-encompassing, treasure-trove source of information.

Libraries play a vital role in providing students with highly reliable academic content. They encourage and strongly promote the process of active learning and grasping new knowledge. The bookworms can get loads of fascinating books to read from and enhance their knowledge outside the classroom. Moreover, the variety is so wide-ranging that one mostly gets exactly what they are looking for. Most importantly, libraries are a great platform for making academic progress. When we get tough homework in class, the libraries help us immensely with the necessary reference material. This, in turn, progresses our learning capabilities and broadens our knowledge. It is also helpful in our overall psychological development. It helps us in learning and expanding our worldview. We develop our crucial reading habits from a library and satisfy our deepest thirst and curiosity for knowledge. This helps heavily in the personal growth and development of a person. Furthermore, libraries are very economical. The students who cannot afford to buy expensive new books can simply borrow books from a library. This helps them in saving a lot of money and getting vital information completely for free.

In short, libraries are a great, indispensable place to gain knowledge. They serve each student differently based on their needs. They are a great source of learning and promoting the progress of knowledge. One can enjoy their free time in libraries by reading and intensely researching. As the world has rapidly become digitized, it is now easier to browse through a library catalog and get what you are looking for quickly. Thus, libraries are found to be very profoundly useful for the students. We must not give up on physical libraries due to the digital age. Nothing can ever truly replace the authenticity, atmosphere, and reliability one gets from a traditional library.


b. Do you have any public library in your locality? If so, do the people in your community use it? Give a couple of examples.

Yes, we are fortunate to have a well-maintained public library in our locality. The name of the library is the ‘Bhanubhakta Memorial Library’. It is proudly named after the famous Nepali writer, poet, and translator Bhanubhakta Acharya, historically known by the honored title Adikavi. Of course, the people in our community use it very frequently and passionately.

This public library is the biggest intellectual treasure present in our society. It has all the vast resources one can take great benefits from. One can easily find a lot of historical resources here that are not readily available anywhere on the World Wide Web. Books are completely free for everyone to read, and we shouldn’t spend a single penny for any book that we borrow. Books from different genres such as science fiction, historical fiction, biographies, and a lot more are kept here neatly for people to borrow. One can use the books in the library for many different purposes. For instance, this library helped me immensely to study along with other rare reference books to help me with my academic research project. The availability of different kinds of books made my life, and the community people’s lives, vastly easier as we don’t have to go looking for books all over the busy city and can get everything under one quiet roof.

Also, there is free access to the internet inside the building, due to which it has been even easier for us to access online digital books and journals for free. For me, this library has also become a great place to socialize with my intellectual community members, as I can get to know people that have the exact same academic interests as I do. This greatly helps me to build strong relationships with people of similar literary interests.

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