State Central Library gets a new look

State Central Library gets a new look

M. Raghuram

It has been renovated at a cost of Rs.1.5 crore

— PHOTO: BHAGYA PRAKASH K.

facelift: The renovated State Central Library at Cubbon Park in Bangalore.

Bangalore: The State Central Library is ready to play host to a new generation of bibliophiles. Housed in the historic Sheshadri Iyer Memorial Hall at Cubbon Park, it has been renovated at a cost of Rs.1.5 crore granted by the 12th Finance Commission. The central library now wears a new look with modern amenities such as free Internet , a digital library, hydraulic elevators and wooden floors and walls.

Even the rack system has been overhauled to meet the needs of modern accession coding and documentation techniques.

There are several new features on offer. A special competitive examination section, career information services, inter-library loan facilities, bibliographical services, reprographic services, a rare book collection and audio visual services have been introduced. The lighting system in the reading hall has been improved.

Speaking to The Hindu, Director of the State Department of Public Libraries P.Y. Rajendra Kumar said that the ornamental wooden pillars have been designed by Karnataka Chitrakala Parishat. There are 22 traditional arches that add to the elegance of the interiors. Large colourful murals depict the State’s heritage. The central library is also one of the participating libraries in a four nation digital library consortium mandated to create a universal digital library comprising one million books.

“The project is sponsored by Carnegie Mellon University and the other countries participating are China, U.S. and Egypt. The central library aims to digitise one lakh books. We have already digitised 30,000 books and put it online.” The former President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam is the chief patron of the programme.

The Indira Priyadarshini Children’s library has also been revamped. It now has a child-friendly environment to encourage reading, including educational toys, science kits and an audio visual room to screen children’s films. It also has its own digital library funded by Samsung at a cost of Rs. 20 lakh.