The Coimbatore Corporation will have a library in each of its 100 wards, said Mayor S.M. Velusamy at a function held in the city on Monday.
“The civic body will take the necessary steps at the earliest,” he said at the inauguration of the 44{+t}{+h} National Library Week celebrations at the District Central Library.
Since the inauguration of the Public Library Act in Tamil Nadu in 1948 and the formation of the District Library Authority in the district in 1950, libraries had witnessed tremendous growth.
Coimbatore district had 80 branch libraries, 93 urban libraries, 53 part-time libraries, 3 rural libraries and a District Central Library - all totalling 230.
Of those 138 libraries enjoyed own buildings, 10 functioned from rented buildings and 82 from buildings that have been free-of-charge.
In the past 10 years, 30 buildings had been constructed for libraries at Rs.16 crore. At villages that did not have a library, mobile libraries catered to their needs. Prisoners at the Coimbatore prison also got to read books supplied either through mobile libraries or from the nearest branch library.
Mr. Velusamy also said that as part of the plan to link libraries with the nearest government schools, so far 88 higher secondary schools, 146 high schools and 456 middle schools had benefitted.
He appreciated the District Central Library's efforts in catering to the needs of civil service aspirants. The library has a separate section with books on competitive examinations. Coimbatore South MLA R. Dorai, Deputy Mayor N. Chinnadurai, and Chief Education Officer N. Anandhi participated.
Source | The Hindu | 15 November 2011
