Stay updated with the latest - Click here to follow us on Instagram
Tags:
Journalism of Courage
CHANDIGARH’S OLDEST library, the TS Central State Library, has more than 50,000 members, with a substantial increase in membership over the last few years. As many as 2,826 new members were added in 2016-2017. While the world is debating how digital books, e-readers are fast replacing physical books, the library tells a different story as its reading rooms and various sections are visited by thousands daily. “We have a steady increase in membership, and people seem to be returning to the physical versions of books, with our library offering the latest books to a cross-section of people from across the region. The wide variety of books on every possible subject, including fiction, has people of various age groups, backgrounds, walks of life, a part of our library. Our efforts are on meeting the demands of new readers, with a focus on digitisation, e-books and also organising a variety of literary and creative activities to involve more people and make our space alive,” says Anju Gupta, the librarian here.
The library, named after ICS officer Tarlok Singh who was a member of the Planning Commission — the library was set up under the country’s First Five year Plan, which he steered — offers a lifetime membership for Rs 500.
ALSO READ | Dwarka Dass Library, Chandigarh: A date with history
The space is a hub for book releases, talks by authors, scholars, academicians, experts, film screenings, with the Readers and Writers Society of India organising regular literary sessions with both established and young authors, on a range of subjects and also talks by experts. The children’s section here is abuzz with activity, as apart from regular storytelling sessions, the library offers workshops on science, art, creative writing, and quizzes on series of popular books. The larger idea, adds Gupta, is to get people, especially students closer to books and make the ambience and activities engaging and absorbing. To reach out to far-off areas, the library has a mobile service library as well.
The library has a mobile unit and a branch at Manimajra.
ALSO READ | Chandigarh’s Beant Singh Memorial Library: A space to study in peace
Established in 1995, the State Library, Sector 34, boasts more than 22,000 members, with the last two years seeing an increase of more than 4,000 members. The library started with a collection of 5,000 books, with 2,000 gifted by the State Library, Sector 17, and the rest received as donation from the general public. Now the number of books has grown to more than a lakh, with more than 50 lakh e-books and 3,000 CDs. Spread over three floors, with a special children’s section, the library also houses the office of the Chandigarh Sangeet Natak Akademi, Chandigarh Sahitya Akademi and Chandigarh Lalit Kala Akademi, and is a hub of several art and cultural activities. Operational seven days a week, anyone can become a lifetime member by paying Rs 600, plus a few extra charges.
“Students, professionals, homemakers, retired people and youngsters, people appearing for competitive exams, we have members of all age groups using the library. We have special children’s section, reference, newspaper and magazine section, apart from reading rooms. Apart from this, we have special facilities for the physically challenged, like converting physical form of books into audio ones, to facilitate reading, Braille displays, mouse magnifier. We also deliver books to the doorsteps of aged members of the library,” says Khushwinder Kaur, the librarian.
This public library offers free Wi-Fi to members and has installed computers in its research and reading rooms. The library witnesses a footfall of 2,500 to 3,000 users daily, with as many as 800 connecting their devices to the Wi-Fi.
The library also has a blog where, on average, 400 users log in daily. They can avail of the provision of journals, books, sample tests as well as newspapers, which can be accessed by all library members. The library, which is completely digital, involves readers in many ways, and has set up clubs for English and public speaking for confidence building and improving communication skills. The IAS Club here was initiated for aspirants to connect and also interact with experts on varied topics and subjects.
Members here can also use libribox, a blog created for e-books, where readers can choose from lakhs of books on different genres and read online. The library also offers special activities for children, with story-telling, book reading, creative writing, quiz on books and words regularly held as part of the family reading time. The idea, adds Kaur, is to encourage members to connect, share, initiate dialogues and conversation on books and avail of the diverse facilities and space here.
Stay updated with the latest - Click here to follow us on Instagram
