Libraries represent the history, culture and civilisation of a country. In a sense, they also represent its future. If a country invests in its public libraries it ensures its continued cultural enrichment. Right through history, till recent times, it is the deliberate burning down of libraries that demonstrated barbaric behaviour. Mobs of philistines vandalise either because they have conquered or because they want a cultural cleansing. At Hitler’s book burning sessions Goebbels had famously declared: “These flames not only illuminate the final end of an old era, they also light up the new.” Till today we can’t forget the destruction of the libraries of Alexandria and of our own Nalanda and Vikramshila. Apart from losing so much learning it did “inflict a wound on humanity”. The way the world is headed and in view of the clash of religions, we need to protect our civilisation. That’s why we need more and more libraries. Yet all we hear is the futility of spending money on libraries. In today’s digital world, why should anybody want to visit a library when there is one in every smartphone?
Fortunately, India hasn’t fallen prey to this line of thinking yet. In 2014 our President launched the National Mission on Libraries. Rs 400 crores was allocated for the next three years and this included funding to set up a national virtual library. But whereas in other nations the complaint is a shortage of funds, here the funds allocated aren’t utilised. It’s a matter of shame that many states didn’t even apply for these funds and although some states have good library systems, the average national spending is only 27 per cent, according to Subadra Ramakrishnan in her article “Why Indians are losing out on libraries”. Further, in this well-researched article she claims there is a correlation between the literacy rate of a state and its public library system. No wonder a public library has been called “the people’s university”.
However, to have a robust library system today, the library as we have known it must be reinvented. The Imperial Library (which along with the Calcutta Public Library became the National Library) was intended to be “a library of reference, a working place for students and a repository of material for future historians for India, in which every work written about India at any time can be seen and read”. These objectives remain, but the format and “system” must meet the requirements of digital times. Recently, when my membership of a city library expired, I toyed with the idea of becoming an “online member”. This would allow me access to thousands of books, journals and films in the comfort of my home, through my phone or any computer. But the moment I stepped into the library to renew my card as an online member, I knew that I would be deprived of the indescribable pleasure of visiting a real library. The very sight of shelves filled with all sorts of books waiting to be explored, the silent camaraderie of book lovers and the delicious exercise of browsing and then choosing the books, magazines and films you wish to borrow are all appealing. From time to time you bump into students and fellow teachers or old friends and it is nice to share a cup of coffee in the small cafeteria at one end of the library. The issuing and reissuing is done by a machine. At the touch of a few buttons it produces a slip with the details of the items you have borrowed and the due date of return. There is a small conference hall for all kinds of talks and workshops — I attended one on how to use the online library effectively. Sometimes there are film shows and general discussions in the main library after office hours. There are facilities for photocopying and recording. These are some of the ways the British Council Library has reinvented itself. Apart from innovations, there is a combination of the traditional and contemporary and all users are satisfied. Indeed, the transition to a digital world must be handled sensitively.
The playground and the library are the twin nerve centres of a school while colleges and universities take great pride in their libraries. I know that in some state-of-the-art libraries, robots are used to fetch books for the reader. I remember feeling somewhat unnerved when years ago at the imposing UPenn Library I saw whole book cabinets moving across the floor. Somebody had switched on this mechanical device whereby stacks of books could be moved mechanically to make room for a person who wanted to go through a particular aisle. As for children’s libraries — some of the pictures look so magical that you want to be a child again. A school library is where children get access to information, they learn, they read for sheer pleasure and, hopefully, they develop the traits of a lifelong learner. Today libraries are not totally silent anymore. In modern school libraries there are dedicated spaces for discussions and consultations. There are exciting library-related activities and, of course, there are Kindles, other book readers and laptops, along with traditional books. In very sophisticated institutions there are facilities to produce resources. Children make their own websites and create films, blogs, power point presentations, and audio recordings on a variety of topics. Teachers do the same. It is so much better to create your own audio visual lesson than to “outsource” it or make do with readymade material.
Librarians should be retrained. Their task would be very different in the digital world of today. Users have to be guided in efficient ways to access relevant information. But in a world of overabundance of information, unreliable information and dubious sites, librarians must have the skills to teach young people to sift information. This is a vital need today.
In a democracy, it is vital that every single individual should get access to information. It is therefore important for our country to have a vibrant public library system. Literacy and digital literacy will increase at a quicker rate if we revitalise our libraries. I wish there were more neighbourhood libraries. Run properly, they would go a long way to keep our young out of trouble and to give them the opportunity to enrich themselves.
We have some of the most beautiful old libraries in our country. But I hope we will always keep in mind how essential libraries are. And I also hope that the day will never come when readers will lose their freedom to read whatever they choose to read. No civilised people burn or ban books — rather they preserve, nurture and create knowledge. Our libraries must be cultural hubs that befit our glorious heritage and serve as learning centres which can fulfil our nation’s dreams for tomorrow.
The writer is a veteran school educator based in Kolkata
