Today, I read a news article about Microsoft closing its physical library. I felt sad because I was a regular user of the MS Library during my Microsoft days. Change is the only constant in life. There may be reasons for this step, but the MS Library will always hold a special place in my memory.
I’ve been a job hopper, but I spent most of my professional life at Microsoft. I initially worked on the Microsoft Dynamics CRM team for two years. I later boomeranged back and joined Microsoft Office for 4.5 years. During those days, I was a frequent user of the MS Library.
The library had both a physical and online presence. I worked at the Microsoft Hyderabad campus, where the library occupied a large area in Building 1/2. It had an excellent collection of books available to borrow. I visited at least once a month to return books and pick up new ones. When my workload was light, I’d spend time browsing and reading from its vast collections of books and magazines. The website let you read magazines and newspapers online, and you could request books there. Once a requested book was allotted, you’d get a notification to pick it up from the library.
The most interesting feature was requesting books from other Microsoft campus libraries. The book would be dispatched to you by post, and you’d mail it back to its origin upon return. I often felt it was a waste of money, the postage sometimes exceeded the physical book’s price. Fortunately, by 2016, this inefficiency was addressed to some extent. Of all campuses, Redmond being the main hub, had the most diverse collection. I recall a news story that the building housing the Redmond MS Library was so heavy it had sunk slightly into the ground.
I was a more frequent user while on the CRM team, as it was in the same building as the library. But when I moved to MS Office in Building 3, my visits dropped.
Microsoft fostered a strong reading culture due to presence of many readers. Bill Gates is well known as a voracious reader, and I still subscribe to his book recommendations. In my team, many colleagues read extensively, and you naturally get influenced by them. My own reading habit improved. I was consuming 20-30 books a year. The MS Library played a key role, offering easy, no-cost access to all sorts of books. I also kept up with periodicals and abstracts through its online offerings.
Things changed after I got married and became a father. Personal commitments meant I read less and less. It worsened as I focused more on professional growth, plus I spent time on Hacker News and YouTube. For the last four years, I’ve read only 4-6 books annually. This year, I’ve resolved to read 47 and have already finished three.
Reading is an empowering habit. It exposes you to new ideas and knowledge, while building concentration, focus, and comprehension. Fast readers have a natural edge in knowledge-based professions that demand sifting through vast content. We’re all readers to some extent.
Libraries help us read more by providing easy, affordable access to diverse content. But as we’ve shifted to video and audio consumption, reading has suffered. Newspapers struggle with readership and profits. Libraries are closing. As mentioned, the MS Library will always hold a special place in my memory. Hopefully, sticking to my 47-book resolution will be my way of honouring it.