ODESSA, Texas — We live in a digital age. An age where we use our phones for practically anything and everything.
This includes reading. We can read all seven Harry Potter books all on the convenience of our phones.
But one thing your cell phone might not have is that new book smell.
Wednesday is National Book Lovers Day, a day where people are advised to put away their phones and pick up a book.
"It's really a chance for the community to come out and enjoy the libraries," Howard Marks, director of Ector County Libraries, said. "Select their favorite book and pick their favorite genre. You know, get their favorite piece of literature, find what excites them."
Whether you prefer basketball biographies or hard-hitting mysteries, your local library has something for everyone.
And nobody knows more about loving books than your local librarians.
"They take you somewhere," Marks said when asked why he loves books. "They take you on a journey [...] it's something you can't put down very easily. You can get really into the character. [...] Depending on the type of book, you can be entertained, you can laugh, you can relate to the character."
There’s a reason why these literature lovers pursued a career in putting books on shelves.
But they aren’t just putting them on the shelves, they’re putting them in people’s hands as well.
"Really, you know, it was to help people find information," Marks said when asked why he decided to work at a library. "I found that answering questions, I found that the customer service angle was really interesting. [...] When I started library school it gave me this satisfaction. You know, because these weren't just these yes and no type questions. You actually had to go do some research to go find information to get the answer."
And while you can also find that perfect book on your phone, there’s something about opening a physical copy and sifting through the hundreds of pages someone painstakingly printed.
"The natural inclination is to go right to our smartphones or our electronic devices, whatever those may be," Marks said. "But it's nice to go back to the old days and [...] the hunt of going through the Dewey Decimal System and being able to locate that book and sitting down with it and maybe having a cup of coffee [...] It kind of lets us digest things for what they are and you know, things aren't going 100 miles an hour."
And even though Wednesday is technically National Book Lovers Day, for some people, that’s everyday.
The Ector County Library is open Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., and it doesn't have to be National Book Lovers Day to visit. They also have a book kiosk at the Music City Mall you can go to.
If you're in Midland, both the Library at the Plaza and Centennial Library are open Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.