Rhodes up
It's a sad reflection of the modern world when, just weeks after reporting on the university's proposed internet institute, we discover that in the Rhodes House Library the most fundamental of research aids, the good old book, is being much more shabbily treated. After the ongoing threat to the Bodlean's opening hours, this latest episode seems to suggest that those in charge are guilty of the exact crime they often accuse their students of: not making academic research their top priority.
Admittedly the computer facilities are being affected too, as the days of libraries being just shelves of dusty old books are long gone. But this is the root of the problem: we are moving so quickly into the technological age that we are losing sight of what should, and have always previously been, our priorities. Sadly, it all comes down to money. How many prospective students consider the availability of books as an important factor when applying to a university? And how many consider the provision of computers? As university is seen more and more as just a stepping stone to the world of high wages, the skills required at work are thus given more and more emphasis at university level, regardless of their actual usefulness or importance. Unfortunately, appreciation of the importance of reading seems to be on the verge of total extinction. Allegations are constantly flying around of our society's dumbing down, with the elder generations scandalised that more of our youth appreciate Lara Croft than Milton. Before tutting so readily, perhaps our superiors should consider exactly why this is.
1st Jun 2001