This library stands tall even in digital age

Age-old books are preserved in air-conditioned cabins in the library. —DC

“A library of wisdom is more precious than all wealth, and all things that are desirable cannot be compared to it”, said writer Richard de Bury, centuries ago.

Travancore’s Maharaja Swati Thirunal knew there couldn’t be anything truer than this and entrusted the task of setting up a library to the then resident Edward Cadogan.

The Trivandrum People’s Library, that later became one of the first public libraries in India, was thus born in 1829.

Open to the public since 1898, the library stands active even in the age of digital books and e-papers, housing about 4 lakh books.

“People’s inclination to internet had slightly brought down the membership for a while. However, almost all of them came back in no time. Guess it’s the enchanting feel that only a library can give”, said P.Subrapha, state librarian who has been here for five years.

According to her, people come back as the library walks with the changing times. “We have a well-updated website with all the details.

Government gazettes are also digitised and preserved here now, in addition to subscribing to more magazines and journals,” she observed.

What’s most striking about the library is its Gothic-style architecture that took shape after 1900, on the orders of His Highness Sree Moolam Thirunal.

The ruler might have felt that the books of knowledge should be housed beautifully too. The construction style was chosen in commemoration of the diamond jubilee of Queen Victoria.

Heading the family of books is a translation published in 1569, titled A Righte Noble and Pleasant History of the Successors of Alexander surnamed The Great.

As per records, it’s written by ‘Wise Plutarch’ and translated from French to English by Thomas Stocker. Age-old books like these are preserved in air-conditioned cabins.

Along with the years, the library has improved its budget for books and journals. However, the library now faces the issues of space crunch and staff shortage.

“Funds were allotted to construct a heritage model building to store books. However, due to a recent case, no construction activities have been allowed on the premises as of now. This is a serious matter”, said Ms Suprabha.

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Trivandrum Public Library: The Library That Made The State

Commemorating the event of reading week to be observed from June 19 – 25, a peek into Trivandrum Public Library and the place it has in the history of the state |Mukesh Venu

Officially recognised as the State Central Library, the Trivandrum Public Library has a history that dates back to almost two hundred years. Its books have provided inspiration to many generations of leaders and reformers throughout the course of history. The significance that the habit of reading has in transforming an entire society is evident from the place that the Public Library holds in history books. And what paved the way for the formation of this library was the love for reading that a great king of Travancore once had...

Swathi Tirunal Rama Varma, whose reign began in 1819, was a ruler who understood the importance of developing reading as a habit and to acquire knowledge. It was this knowledge that brought him respect even from the British administrators of the time. In the very first year of his reign, he established a library with British Resident Col. Edward Cadogon as the President. Membership to this exclusive library was limited to the members of the Royal Durbar.

In 1847, the library committee was transformed into the Public Library Society and soon the library was open to persons residing in Trivandrum who conformed to the rules of the state. In 1898, the entire library assets were handed over to the Government on condition of building a new, permanent building for the library, which would be open to the public. Swathi Tirunal Rama Varma took special interest in building the library and in 1900, Trivandrum got the beautiful Public Library building that has now become a landmark of the city. It is also one of the oldest libraries in India.

The library was briefly managed by the University of Travancore (later University of Kerala) from 1938 till 1949. In 1958, the Government sanctioned Rs. Seven lakhsto upgrade it to the status of State Central Library. In 2005, a new building was constructed adjacent to the same model and design, which currently holds the Children's Section and the Technical Division of the State Central Library.

At present, the library has a collection of about 3,88,000 books, which gets updated every year by around 12, 000 books. The library also houses the collection from the British Library following its closure in 2008. Every year, the library purchases journals, magazines and literary works worth Rs. Five lakhs for the British Library section. The maintenance cost for such a vast collection of books, ranging from literature works to Government records to gazettes, is no small task. The library spends another Rs. Five lakhs every year on repairing and binding the books. The collections, which are over a century old and that which are vulnerable to the slightest of human touch, are being digitized to make them accessible without causing any harm to the book.

The library receives an average of around 50,000 readers every month. And even though the advent of electronic media might have given a lethal blow to newspapers, the reading habit of the people has only increased with the passing years, according to a study conducted by the library administration. The report also reveals that students are forming an increasing share in the new memberships that are being registered.

The place has been consistently visited by many historical personalities. Most of the brightest minds of this state still regularly come here seeking new information from the thousands of books it has in store. The legendary Ulloor S Parameswara Iyer, whose statue is erected in the library compound, had served as a working committee member of the library. The importance of this library to the state is as important as the changes that were brought by the many people who were deeply associated with it.

Reading has formed the base for almost all the major upheavals in human history every since the advent of communication through figures and alphabets. The greatest revolutionaries, the biggest religions and brightest scientists always had their concepts recorded in books, in words, which guided the future generation in moving forward towards cultural superiority.

For Kerala, the State Central Library or the Trivandrum Public Library had provided the state's visionaries with the knowledge that their craving mindssought. The library and its books were one of the vital factors, which collectively led to creating a modern, progressive state, and form a population educated with a modern outlook towards the changing world. 

Reading is a habit that helps with the development of the character of an individual and the development of the individual leads to the development of the society he/she lives in. In that perspective, the State Central Library has more to do with the development of the state than anything else, and deserves to be termed as the library which made the state.

Source: http://www.yentha.com/news/view/4/trivandrum-public-library-the-library-that-made-the-state