First, some facts:
– The National Librarian’s Day is celebrated on August 12 – in the honour of librarian and mathematician SR Ranganathan (1892-1972), known as the father of library science.
– According to the Ministry of Culture, India has over 50,000 libraries;
– West Bengal possibly has the highest density – with nearly 2,500 public libraries (funded by the government in some way or the other);
– There are libraries in schools, colleges, universities and other academic institutions, in some hotels, and also in some offices;
– During the turn of the century, with mobile phones becoming popular, there were concerns that libraries will shut down, but that hasn’t happened.
“Libraries are not going anywhere,” Debanjan Chakrabarti, director, British Council East and Northeast India, told FE. “The format, however, is changing – it’s less real estate and more digital books.”
British Council is famous for its libraries globally. In India, it has three libraries – in Delhi, Chennai and Kolkata (its Pune library closed down during the lockdown). “We’ve become big on digital libraries, and of our 135,000 digital library members globally, 37,000 are in India (from 190 cities),” he said. “We have over 150,000 e-books, 2,500 audiobooks, and 11,000 newspapers and magazines from 149 countries and in 65 languages. Then we have 8,000 film titles. Members also get access to three major academic and business search engines – JSTOR, Proquest and EBSCO. Most digital library members in India are from Mumbai and Bengaluru – where we don’t have a physical library – followed by Chennai, Kolkata and Delhi.
With a digital library membership, one can also access concerts and music documentaries, as well as British Council publications including research & insight reports.
Physical libraries
Chakrabarti said that even though a lot of people are reading on digital devices, holding a physical book in your hand is another charm, and people are coming back to physical libraries post-Covid-19. “Physical libraries let you do so much more than merely reading,” he said. “Our three physical libraries are vibrant community and cultural spaces where you can express yourself, interact with others, and attend workshops – while exploring books and other resources. Almost 20,000 members access these libraries in Delhi, Chennai and Kolkata. Students and young working professionals, in the age group of 18 to 40, form bulk of the user base.”
He added that these libraries host multiple events such as Culture Fridays (Best of UK film screening, book clubs, poetry circle), Fun-filled Saturdays (bringing a friend to the library, children book club, storytelling sessions, quizzes), author talks, book launches, panel discussions, and so on.
He added that the top-10 borrowed books at British Council libraries are on literature, language, management, education, engineering, medicine, fine arts, history, law, and religion.
Future of the librarian
Chakrabarti said the librarian’s role has changed from being a gatekeeper to a guide, and much more. “Libraries are evolving into dynamic hubs of information, learning and cultural enrichment, and that is changing the role of a librarian,” he said. “Future librarians need to be adept in change management, they need to be digitally-literate, good at digital information management, and for the patrons they need to be a guide and not just a gatekeeper.”
