Today we went to the Israel National Library in Jerusalem. Immediately upon seeing the building it was clear a lot of thought went into the design and construction of the new building. The Israel National Library moved to this new location somewhat recently yet it was a quiet move due to the war. The outside of the building feels reminiscent of the shape of an open book, while the inside is designed as a well of knowledge, as the way the library works is that books are requested from the book safes down below, and brought up to the reading levels stories above. The library makes sure to have in the main reading area books about Israeli culture, Jewish literature, and Middle Eastern culture (including Arab culture). They also have millions of other books that can be requested anywhere from the oldest books of Talmud to Harry Potter. The Israel National Library, while being a library, also serves as a sort of cultural hub for all sorts of things. The library has education rooms for kids, exhibits, and computers for use. The library is home to some of the most valuable and ancient manuscripts, as well as medieval texts, and even has a collection of not as famous Jewish writings, such as those of school children, or poems. The library is starting to move to a more digital system, as they are making digital copies of all of their books, allowing the oldest of books to remain even after they are destroyed. The Israel National Library makes sure that the Jewish culture and the lives of Jewish people can never be erased. I think that is the most powerful message of the library and really solidifies the need for the national library.