Awakening books lying in sleeping mode in our libraries—Books never die.....by Brij Bhushan Goyal

Globally, for centuries, our libraries have been preserving our culture and history besides serving the cause of promoting education and scientific research. Libraries provide equitable access to a vast array of information resources lying in books and periodicals kept there. 

Many literary giants, scientists, and scholars of yesteryears are products of their habit of regularly visiting a library for old treasures as well as contemporary books on each subject.Individuals who may not have the financial means to purchase books themselves always depended upon public libraries for newer reading.

In this information technology age, libraries have also started transforming to digital databases of books and other resources.

In many advanced countries libraries have proved to be the best community hub place, also where people gather to connect for community events, workshops, and programs that promote social interaction for better civic engagement. Notwithstanding, developing countries are yet to catch up with such interventions in library space.

We may have a large number of public libraries, but sadly, in India, we are many times far behind the international standards of their functioning which are not reader-friendly.

The utility of library resources to have access for research, study, and intellectual exploration has been brutally curtailed in our country due to apathy of governments and universities. To save these crumbling institutions of learning through books, no serious effort has been made though.

The rot has been further accentuated by the internet due to over dependence of readers, particularly students and teachers on information tools and the glut of information in our hands particularly by Artificial Intelligence (AI).

This has baffled the general readers and researchers alike as they are not able to sieve much for real crux of information with that authenticity with which a printed book or a periodical or a research paper in a library could provide at one place.

Our teachers and students both have lost original thinking which is so crucial for the development of our young minds for a profound society.

The TV and unbridled biased social media have stolen our peace and tranquility which we used to get from reading a hard copy newspaper or a book in our hands in and out of a library.

Here, though we talk of Making India Great Again (MIGA), seldom we realize the fast demise of our libraries and book-reading culture in India which should draw our immediate attention for a serious course correction.

Books are kept in sleeping mode

.In our libraries nowadays books remain on sleeping mode. Libraries shelves are shabby and in schools and colleges cupboards containing books are kept locked too, unfortunately.

India’s libraries are both Central and State funded. be in university campuses, colleges and schools or municipal or panchayat libraries, all possess precious books. But, the use of library resources is very minimal. Books always long for the conversation with the reading souls.

Let us awaken them. Let us dust off these lighthouses for 360-degree enlightenment. Immediate interventions in the following areas are desirable so that we do not extinguish the flames of learning which our books in our libraries for our posterity :

Firstly, there are no regular trained librarians. Even if there are some, their wages are very low and seldom do they make any positive interventions to encourage book reading in our youth in particular. Even in schools and colleges library personnel strength is grossly inadequate. 

Gradually, all colleges should have library science as a subject option too to create a manpower base for our libraries. We need many a library assistant too.  

Secondly, the timings of opening and closing of libraries are only in consonance with bureaucratic guidelines of opening of offices as of now. Municipal libraries open at 9 AM and close between 4 to 5 PM.

There are long weekend closures of libraries on Saturdays, Sundays, and on other holidays. Even, the reading room newspaper facility is not provided on weekends and holidays. Normally, our schools and college libraries also follow the same pattern. A very few exceptions of the opening of some of the university campus libraries may be there, but that reach is inadequate. Public libraries are utterly failing the readers.

Thirdly, now the public libraries both municipal and other limited universities extension libraries have started charging excessive securities as well as annual charges attracting heavy GST@18% thereon. Now, it seems that governments want to earn from book reading also. Our libraries charge for internet utility too. 

Fourthly, sitting space in most of the public libraries is inadequate. Infrastructure of proper reading tables and chairs, adequate lights, washrooms, internet resources are much in wanting. Old and irrelevant books are never pruned and never put to sale for the public.

Benefits of reference and rare books and treatises must be opened to be explored. The continued decadence of the conditions of our libraries must stop.

Fifthly, no efforts are made to digitalize the cataloguing of books. Digital catalogs allow users to search for books by title, author, subject, or even keywords, making it easier to find books of interest. Digital catalogues are accessible anytime and anywhere. India is yet to start it take off journey of digitalization in library domain. In western developed nations readers can browse, search, and even reserve books with just a few clicks.

Sixthly, the users with disabilities are a thoroughly a neglected lot. There is no exclusive space and reading facilities for them in our libraries. Indian libraries mostly do not have brail books even.

Seventhly, no one every think about establishing exclusive children’s libraries as in other nations. There is no separate space for senior citizens and silence zones. Such a thoughtlessness is frustrating. Public libraries should have library committees. Separate financial budget be allocated for public libraries.  

Let us learn some lessons from learned friends of our libraries in our recent past in India. One was our Noble Laureate Rabinder Nath Tagore who donated good part of his noble prize money to establish libraries in rural side in Calcutta and was also elected the first president of All-Bengal Library Association in 1925.

He was one of the pioneers of education as well as Indian Library Movement along with Dr S R Ranganathan whose concepts of Library Science were given practical shape in village libraries by Tagore. Both played significant roles in the development of the library movement in India.

Ranganathan, often called the "father of library science in India," is known for his Five Laws of Library Science, which provide a philosophical foundation for library practices. Ranganathan's Five Laws:

"Books are for use," "Every book its user," "Every user his book," "Save time of the reader," and "Library is a growing organism".

Let us save our society from degeneration by awakening sleeping books in our libraries who can become our savior in a world that is full of strife with social, political, economic, and war issues staring us.

Solutions lie in books “A library is an ever-blossoming garden from where the seekers of knowledge find the honeyed sweetness of life “. Thus said an oriental teacher Professor Baljit Singh Sajjad.

April 22, 2025