Libraries Are Crowded, But Books Remain Neglected? Time for Students to Engage Their Minds, Not Just Access Wi-Fi

Campus libraries today are indeed crowded. At many universities, including Nusa Mandiri University (UNM), chairs are filled, laptops are switched on, and the sound of keyboards provides the soundtrack to academic activity.

At first glance, this appears to be good news: students are returning to libraries. But pause for a moment—are they genuinely reading, or merely seeking a comfortable place to complete assignments, scroll through social media, or pass time between classes?

This phenomenon is more than mere criticism; it is a warning signal for the academic world. Books on shelves remain neatly organised, yet interaction with actual reading material continues to diminish. Students increasingly opt for instant summaries, short videos, or PowerPoint slides rather than engaging in deep, comprehensive reading. Reading culture is gradually being replaced by a culture of clicking and swiping.

As a librarian at a Digital Business Campus, I view this challenge as an opportunity. Modern libraries must indeed be adaptive, comfortable, and digitally friendly. However, cutting-edge facilities and fast Wi-Fi alone are insufficient. The essence of a library remains: building critical and reflective thinking through books, discussion, and healthy information literacy.

University libraries must serve as a bridge between students and the tradition of deep reading. Physical crowds are acceptable, but intellectual crowds are more important: substantive discussions, the exchange of ideas, and the confrontation of perspectives. This is where students learn not merely to receive information, but to analyse, interpret, and draw critical conclusions.

Reading culture certainly demands time, patience, and sustained concentration—something that cannot be instant like cold coffee. However, from this process emerges deep knowledge, which forms the foundation of superior human resources. Without a reading culture, library crowds are merely digital decoration and rows of filled chairs, not intellectual incubators.

UNM students, do not come merely for Wi-Fi. Click through books, open your minds, and make the library more than a social space. Digital literacy and deep reading must advance hand in hand.