Thursday 7 March 2013

World Book Day: Thoughts on Libraries and Business Inspiration


When I first typed the title of this post into my tablet, auto correct promptly changed it to "Weird Book Day" but no. I'm talking about World Book Day, which is taking place on Thursday 7th March this year. 

This year World Book Day is particularly significant - public libraries are being threatened with closure due to cuts and misunderstandings about their role in today's society; debates are also raging about right of access to free information (see Terry Deary's widely condemned comments on the subject). 

Mulling this over as I was leaving my own public library just last week, I made an unexpected connection between the role of libraries and business inspiration. 

I had gone to the library in search of books on entrepreneurship, business finance and careers. These books are expensive to buy and when it comes to something as important as your work, the sooner you get stuck in, the better. In these situations the library is invaluable. 

And that's not all - when you go to the library, you enter with an idea, When you leave, you leave with a book that tells you how to make your idea a reality. In the case of business books (and many others focussed on self-development for that matter), your goal is often there - right in front of you - on the front cover. For me, actually seeing your goal on the cover of a book, that has to be returned by a set date, has a very strong psychological impact. It motivates by showing you that you have an aim, that you are taking steps to reach it and that by a certain date, you will be one step more closer to attaining it. You just don't get this sense of urgency (or sense of a challenge!) when buying a book or e-book.

Come to think of it, auto correct may not have been too far off with "Weird Book Day"..head down to your library and take out a book it would never even occur to you to read. You never know: it may just give you the inspiration you need to do something it would never usually occur to you to do.

World Book Day events have been planned today up and down the country. Information about these events can be found at the World Book Day website http://www.worldbookday.com

No comments:

Post a Comment