Public Libraries Disappearing in City
Book lovers in the city are disappointed with the situation of the libraries in the city. Many of the libraries in the city and its surroundings are vanishing. Nearly half of the libraries have been vanished in the past decade. According to an article published by Times of India, only 130 libraries are surviving out of the 230 libraries in and around the Hyderabad city. This clearly states that the city is not a books lover.
There are many reasons for this grave situation. Lack of funding and commitment from government, poor maintenance and encroachments are considered as the primary reasons for the death of the libraries. The surviving ones however are in very pathetic conditions, without proper collection of books and in some cases not even proper bookshelves. Some won’t maintain even books catalog. Many books are being stolen due to negligence and improper maintenance of records.
To understand the poor maintenance of the libraries in the city, consider the 50-year-old City Central Library at Ashok Nagar. It is very popular among the civil services aspirants who form the major part of the visitors. At least 500 people visit the library every day but not a single new book has been added for the last five years. Similar case with the State Central Library. We had the pride of having such a good library with a huge collection of books and literature. It was well maintained till past few years. If the situation of these iconic libraries is like this, it is better not to mention about the local libraries.
When you compare the libraries in US counties, districts as in India, ours are much backward. Apart from books and magazines they also provide good videos, movies, computers with free Internet and conduct useful activities like free communication and other professional skills training, resume writing, competitions etc. with the help of volunteers.
Some people consider private libraries as a reason for de-growth of the public libraries in the city. But why would one want to move to expensive private libraries when cost efficient public libraries are well maintained. For a book reader, the collection of books is important, not the luxurious interiors.
India, particularly Hyderabad being a major destination for knowledge process outsourcing, generating billions of rupees does not have proper public libraries. Libraries, one of the most important knowledge centers are maintained very poorly. Though there are some libraries maintained by trusts or educational institutions, which are still working and maintaining good book collection, most of the others are neglected. The state government should act as quickly as possible and restore the library culture in the city.
