CHENNAI: Six months back, Anna Centenary Library, one of the largest in the country, had opened its doors to the public to borrow books. Since then, it has attracted around 8,000 members and lent out 15,000 books across various sections.
To make its membership more appealing and expand its reach, the library is in the process of launching new initiatives, including online access to their e-library content, free membership for government college students, partnerships with private colleges, and a new science park.
According to officials, the library, spread over eight acres and eight floors, houses nearly seven lakh books in various categories. Of these, 1.5 lakh books have been earmarked for lending. Novels and other fiction books in both English and Tamil are the ones in most demand.
“Though membership was opened in March, we completed the process of selecting books for lending only in August. We currently lend around 150 books daily and expect membership to increase gradually,” said S Kamatchi, chief librarian.
To boost membership, the library is signing memorandums of understanding (MoUs) with government colleges. Once an MoU is signed, a student can borrow books for free by presenting a bonafide certificate from the college and student ID card.
Students from private institutions can also avail membership for fee of Rs 1,500, which allows them to borrow up to 25 books. Officials hope this initiative will encourage more students to make use of the facility.
In a bid to attract young visitors, the library will be setting up a new science park at a cost of Rs 60 lakh. “The science park will feature various equipment that would attract students from primary classes to those going to college.
Using them, the students can perform simple experiments and learn. It will cover various subjects like physics, chemistry, mathematics, computing, and even thermodynamics,” Kamatchi said. The library is also in the process of procuring e-books worth Rs 87 lakh, including a software that will allow members to access the library’s digital collection remotely.