Beyond the Bookshelf: National Library Week at FMMC Champions the Multi Form Renaissance of Reading
NV Paulose, Chairman, Global TV +91 98441 82044
Mangalore, November 19, 2025: The Decennial Memorial Hall at Father Muller Medical College became a vibrant centre of an important cultural conversation on Wednesday. The college, in collaboration with the Karnataka State Library Association, celebrated National Library Week with the theme “Libraries for Wellness: Nurturing Mind, Body, and Knowledge.” What began as a discussion on reading soon expanded into a deeper question. In an age ruled by smartphones, is reading disappearing, or is it simply taking new shapes?
The event was presided over by Rev Fr Faustine Lucas Lobo, Director of FMCI, and featured Dr S L Kadadevarmath, President of the Karnataka State Library Association, as the Chief Guest. Dr Kadadevarmath, a seasoned librarian with more than thirty years of experience, began by expressing concern about the decline of traditional reading habits. He shared uplifting stories from his Readbook Foundation, which has distributed forty-two thousand books across various communities, proving that the desire for knowledge remains strong in rural India. He called upon students to revisit the magic of print books and reminded them that digital content, though fast and convenient, often lacks the depth found within library shelves.
A Call for a Personal Reading Renaissance
The presider of the function, Rev Fr Faustine Lucas Lobo, carried this message forward with conviction. He invited the audience to transform Library Week into a personal Reading Book Week. He posed a simple but powerful question to the students. Can we decide today that we will read at least one book every month? The hall responded with enthusiasm. He described a book as a treasure chest of experience, reflection, and refined wisdom. It is a fund of knowledge, he said, that no quick digital summary can replace. His words reminded students of the lasting value of patient, thoughtful, linear reading.
The Modern Perspective: Reading Has Not Reduced, It Has Multiplied
Yet a more contemporary viewpoint added balance to the discussion. The idea that reading is dying was gently challenged. It was observed that reading has not reduced at all. In fact, it has multiplied in new forms. Students today read more than ever, although not always through printed books. Reading a message, following a news feed, watching a video with subtitles, browsing a webpage, or navigating an app are all acts of reading. The question is no longer whether we read, but rather what we read and how we read.
The resource person for the day, Dr Mamatha Pramod Kumar, Head of the Department of Library and Information Science at Yenepoya, reflected this shift through her presentation on Libraries for Wellness. She showed how the modern library has grown far beyond its traditional image. It has become a center that supports both academic and emotional well being. Students now engage with digital archives, online journals, health information portals, audiobooks, and many forms of multimedia learning. The library is no longer tied only to silent reading. It has embraced the multi form reader of the digital age.
The Library as the Bridge Between Depth and Dynamism
The event concluded with a thoughtful understanding rather than a simple answer. The library of the twenty first century is a bridge between the richness of the past and the fluid energy of the present. It gives students a quiet corner to immerse themselves in a three hundred page narrative, while also providing electronic access to the most recent medical research. It offers a calm space that protects students from the constant noise of the digital world, yet simultaneously equips them with digital tools that strengthen their academic journey.
The program, coordinated by Dr Janet Dotty Lobo, Chief Librarian, beautifully brought forward this truth. Reading is not in danger. It is evolving. It has become a versatile skill that demands both depth and agility. The modern learner does not need to choose between a printed book and a digital platform. Instead, the learner must grow into a discerning reader who appreciates the reflective beauty of an authored text while confidently navigating the fast moving flow of online information. National Library Week at FMMC ultimately celebrated this new reality. Reading has not reduced. It has been released from its old boundaries. And the modern library stands proudly as its guardian, guide, and champion.
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