Oxygen Public Library is spreading the light of knowledge in remote areas of Thakurgaon.
The library has been established in Haripur, a remote and bordering upazila of the district, to spread the light of knowledge among the people and to provide opportunities for students.
Although the number of readers in the library is increasing day by day, the number of new books on knowledge and science has not increased along with the internet connection. In this era of information technology, students are frustrated due to the lack of necessary facilities such as computers, internet, television, etc. They demand that the government allocate land and provide state-of-the-art facilities for students and readers.
Haripur upazila is situated near the border of India. It is located about 65 kilometers from Thakurgaon district. Although it is an upazila town, traffic stops after evening and the entire area becomes silent. The library c has been built on a rented space on the side of the road in a place called Battali, 2 kilometers away from the upazila council. This area is lagging behind in the light of education, cultural development and development activities. A group of young people have built the library to encourage students studying in schools and colleges to read books and spread the light of knowledge.
The library started its journey on March 26, 2020. It has a facility to read 3,000 stories, novels, poetry books, travel books, academic books, and daily newspapers. School and college students come here every afternoon and gain knowledge by reading books.
But compared to the demand, there are not enough books on the solar system and new scientific innovations here. There are no books necessary to develop the talent of children.
There are not enough chairs, tables and open spaces for readers to sit.
Most of the readers here are school and college students. Many people come from far and wide to read books.
Some readers including Sirajum Monira and Ariful Islam said that it is not possible for many to buy new books for their jobs every day. That is why many people come here. Along with various books, daily newspapers are kept here. By reading newspapers, we can know the daily news happening in the country and abroad.
Md Shaon said, Oxygen Knowledge Library is open to everyone. People of any age can gain knowledge by reading books here.
“We want to have our own place. If the government allocates a piece of special land to us, we can establish this library in an open place and connect with the marginalized people,” he also said.
Mojahedur Islam Emon, the director and president of Oxygen Library, said,”There is no government library in Haripur Upazila. Realizing that need, we established Oxygen Library. Just as no animal can survive without oxygen, similarly we are not considered human without education or knowledge. That is why this is our effort to meet the demand for various types of books among the students of schools and colleges in the area.”
