VISAKHAPATNAM: Miyawaki, a children’s section with a forest theme, is the new addition to the Visakhapatnam Public Library (VPL), which has undergone a total transformation and looks like a corporate office. With an aim to bring children back to books, the Miyawaki section has been developed.
Children can visit the Miyawaki section and read books of their choice, besides taking part in various other activities like story-telling and drawing in a forest like ambience, DS Varma, secretary of VPL, told TNIE.
The new executive of the library, led by president S Vijaya Kumar, has developed it with funds from philanthropists and various other organisations. Prior to the development, a study was conducted on the requirements of readers, who included senior citizens, career aspirants, students and housewives. Based on the study, the new-look library was designed by an architect with an objective to create a motivating ecosystem and infrastructure.
Treasure trove of over 70,000 books
The library has a treasure trove of 70,000 books and it subscribes to over 30 magazines to meet the requirements of students appearing for various competitive examinations. The salient features of the library include entry through door access system, e-learning facilities for online mock tests and an e-kiosk with the details of all books and other related information for the benefit of readers.
The library has 40 computers connected to a server for the conduct of mock tests to students ahead of competitive examinations. “If the resources permit, we plan to keep the library open 24x7. Plans are also afoot to provide access to online editions of various books by keeping four to five computers in each section of the library,” Varma said.
On an average, 1,000 people, mostly students from Srikakulam, Vizianagaram, Visakhapatnam and East Godavari districts, visit the library a day to enrich their knowledge. The number of readers visiting the library increases further during summer vacation and competitive examinations.
The library, which was inaugurated in 2003, has been a destination for many students, who are deprived of access to books for competitive exams and entrance tests. Many owe their success in entrance tests and competitive examinations to the house of knowledge.
Speaking to TNIE, Ganga Bhavani from S Kota said her brother got a job in Bank of Baroda after he prepared for the bank exam in the library. He motivated her to go to the library to prepare for the APPSC examinations, she said. “The public library has a perfect ambience for studies. I have been spending eight hours a day in the library as part of my preparation for the APPSC examinations,” said Ganga Bhavani.