Library is the temple of knowledge and even in this digital era, thousands of people depend solely on public libraries for knowledge gathering
Libraries symbolize the progress of civilization,” Droupadi Murmu, President of India. Every year National Librarian’s Day is celebrated commemorating the birth anniversary of Padmashri Dr. S. R. Ranganathan, the father of Library Science in India. He was the doyen of library science in India who developed the systematic classification of books, the colon classification and also penned the five laws of library science. The five laws he developed - Books are for use, Every reader, his book, Every book, its reader, Save the time of the reader; and A library is a growing organism, form the fundamental tenet of a library. Very often most of our librarians forget these principles and behave in an unwelcoming manner towards the readers.
They often forget that books are for the use of readers. This is more evident in libraries managed by schools, colleges and research institutions. The culture being followed in most of our schools and colleges is how to make students keep away from the readers. The books are locked safely in shelves and many poor books are awaiting a reader to touch its pages. Even in colleges accredited with very high ranks students are not allowed free usage of the library. In libraries managed by research institutions, the situation is more pathetic. They will not entertain the public to utilize their facility or even if they allow there will be several do’s and don’t’s, as if the reader is in a high-security area. Once there is a restriction no youngster will enter that zone further in his lifetime.
Reading is a skill that can be nurtured only through active reading and librarians have a larger role to play. A good librarian is as good as a good encyclopaedia. A good librarian can bring attitudinal change in our youngsters. There are a few good librarians who keep interacting with the readers and inspiring them to read the new books available in the library. He should act as an agent for knowledge dissemination.
The library is a growing organism and its growth is possible only with the help of a good librarian. A good librarian should bring changes in the library culture that suites the present time. Even though the culture of silence should be maintained in the library, there should be allocated spaces for readers to make active discussions within the library. In some good libraries like IIM Trichy, there are even spaces where readers can lie down relax and read. Similarly in many libraries usage of laptops is restricted. Present day generation is more convenient in taking notes on their electronic devices rather than on paper. In most of the publicly supported libraries digital resources are also available, but in many cases, the users have to pay extra to use the computer system, even if they have a valid membership. The digital resources available in the library should be made accessible to all members even from their homes, as the British Council libraries are doing.
Library is the temple of knowledge and even in this digital era, thousands of people depend solely on public libraries for knowledge gathering. For students from economically marginalized sections, they are the sole resource material for the preparation of competitive examinations. Even though there are differences of opinion regarding the need for a physical library, the fact is that no digital library can replace the physical library in its role and function. Information in this era can indeed be gathered from our smartphones, but progress in human culture and civilization can happen only through libraries. The librarians of this generation should not only act as facilitators in locating appropriate books but also act as facilitators in finding authentic resources from digital platforms.
