More than words

It shifted to its present premises, opposite the Vaishali restaurant, in 1965. The several changes include both staff, interior decoration and quality of services provided. Say Anil Bakshi, manager,8220;But the reason for its existence has always been the same 8211; to provide current information on all subjects and to promote educational, technical, and scientific co-operation between India and Britain, and make English literature and art more widely known.8221;

To commemorate the occasion, on September 30, Colin Perchard, Director, British Council Division and Robert Frost, First Secretary Cultural Affairs and responsible for British Council Division, Western India were down in Pune to cut the pink-and-white birthday cake.

At an informal meet, anecdotes from the past were relived and future plans concerning the Pune library were outlined. 8220;In India people want to read books, which is a wonderful thing. And Pune is one of the three busiest libraries in the world, according to our assessment from membership records which is around 12,000 and 600 corporate members and book loans,8221; said Perchard.

Lending services are no longer the prime activity. 8220;The resources of the library include books, periodicals, educational and training videos, CD-ROMs, audio cassettes, British newspapers, university prospectuses and course directories for students interested in studying in the UK,8221;relates Bakshi. The library today has 40,936 books, 819 videos, 103 periodicals, six newspapers on the shelves, 2,70620 bookloans and a 200 plus staff.

Information on the British Council is now available on the at the following sites 8211; britishcouncil.org; indev.nic.in for development information; and bl.punebcindia.sprintrpg.ems.vsnl.net.in, which is the e-mail address.

8220;We have a catalogue on the CD-ROM now and an improved book selection, which is updated regularly by the Libsys 8211; a system whereby every library gets a synopsis of books that are popular,8221; says Frost. In Pune, books on management, engineering, fiction and psychology are in great demand. The library introduces a booklist of 50 books every week.

Well-known for it8217;s education counselling, 8220;the library holds British examinations like the International English Testing System and the Business English Certificate. An education fair is also held annually in November,8221; says Sughandi, staff member. Besides this, members can avail of Internet surfing and web searches, booksellers and institutions, reference service and library consultancy services.

8220;The children8217;s library, inaugurated on April 23, 1999 8211; the World Book Day 8211; has books, videos, multimedia for 626 children in the age group five to 15. Our regular events include slide shows on wildlife, on-the-spot slogan-writing competition, quiz contest and poetry competitions,8221; says Savitri Iyer, staff member.

The past 40 years have witnessed a sea change, especially in the, fully-carpeted decor 8211; and the speed of work 8211; the library was fully computerised in 1996. The membership charges are Rs 550 today, whereas the service was free when they started.

But some things have not changed, like the 150 members, who were there from Day One. Staff members like Kashinath Mahadham, have been in service from the inception. Ashok Mazumdar, the assistant librarian at the hub of activities since years, has information on his fingertips. The library promotes cultural activities, like book and poetry reading 8211; and romance too, according to Perchard. 8220;There8217;s much more romance in libraries than anyone would care to admit, it8217;s a safe meeting ground,8221; he laughs.