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By ALANNA RICE
Staff Writer

There’s something special about opening a novel and becoming immersed in its pages, but many students are unable to find that magic at Niagara College.

Kim Godfrey, 19, says reading is healthy and acts as a creative outlet.

Godfrey, a first-year student in the Broadcasting – Radio, Television and Film program, says the college’s fiction section lacked what she was looking for.

“I find that there’s not even a good selection to choose from, so it’s really hard to even find a book that you might be remotely interested in.”

Originally from Millgrove, Ont., Godfrey doesn’t have a local library card and is forced to obtain books another way.

“Unfortunately, I have to buy books.”

Shannon Dalby, another first-year broadcasting student, says reading “helps me get creative” and “expands your imagination and helps you deal with real-life problems.”

Dalby, 19, says she couldn’t find anything that interested her at the library either.

Irene Masum, a cataloguer at the Welland campus library, says reading is important because it “gives you a better understanding of the world” and helps you “discover the world around you and yourself.”

Masum says, as part of a college library, the fiction section isn’t large but suggests students still check out what is there.

She says the library’s “limited budget” means there is more of a focus on educational resources than fictional novels.

She says students can donate fiction books at the front desk to add to the collection.

Jamie Henry, a first-year student in the Child and Youth Worker program, says, “When I looked around the library, I couldn’t actually find any idea on where to start, as everything seemed like a textbook.”

She says she would like to see more fictional books. “A library should be filled with all kinds of books, and I rarely see any fiction.”

Henry, 19, says, “Ever since I was a little kid, when I read a book, it always took me to a whole completely different universe,” adding that reading allows for imagination, independent thought and “makes people think, feel and even emote better.”

Katie Storm, 20, says there should be a wider fiction selection. “Lack of material makes a lack of interest for students who are readers.”

The first-year General Arts and Science student says reading is important to expand vocabulary and reading skills, both essential to daily life.

“If you can’t read or struggle reading, chances are you may struggle in life.”