City college
libraries that are still in demand
The library is the temple of learning, and learning has liberated
more people than all the wars in history” once said the famous American
journalist Carl Thomas Rowan. In an era of social media and ebooks, something
that we have forgotten is the fragrance of books, both old and new. And what
can be a better place than a college
library to get a whiff of this memory. Though most college libraries have
been digitised in today’s world, they have still maintained their legacy by
preserving old and rare books. CT visits six such libraries of city colleges
which have a huge collection of new, old, rare and even ebooks.
Fr Verstraeten Central Library, St Xavier’s
College
Number of books: 77,215+
Process of maintenance: The authorities have completely digitised
the library, so that students can access any hard or soft copy of books.
Well-trained librarians are appointed to look after the books. An online
renewing process has been introduced, which makes the process of lending and
returning much more hassle-free.
Speciality of the library: The library provides services to its users
digitally by using open source ILMS Koha software. All hard copies of books
have a Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tag. Ebooks can be accessed using
college Wi-Fi from any device. The library also maintains a book bank facility
for rural and financially challenged students. Apart from the Central Library,
St Xavier’s College has another library called the Goethals Indian Library and
Research Society. This library has various old books that date back to the
1800s.
Librarian’s take: “St Xavier’s College had five different
libraries before January 2009. These five libraries were merged into one
integrated corpus and started functioning as a centralised system from January
16, 2009,” said Fr Xavier Savarimuthu, editor and assistant director of one of
the libraries.
Students speak: “The central library is a storehouse of very
valuable works which are unavailable elsewhere. There’s no dearth of misleading
information on the internet, so the material accessed from a relevant scholarly
work is invaluable for us students. The library provides students a friendly,
yet disciplined environment,” said Koyena Ghosh, a sociology student.
Bethune College Library
Number of books: 1,10,000+
Process of maintenance: Every year, the college gets funds from the
government for dusting and pest control. The authorities make sure that the library
is properly maintained and the books are preserved with utmost care. The
library began with a collection of books donated by friends of Mon Mohan Ghosh,
who was a member of the Bethune School Committee. After his death in 1898, some
of his friends from England donated his collection of books to the college.
Speciality of the library: This library is the first among all
government colleges of West Bengal to be computerised. It is a hub of rare
books. Some of the rare books have been digitised and laminated. The library
has well-preserved editions of old newspapers and periodicals like
Bangadarshan, Probasi, Masik Basumati and Calcutta Gazette, among others. It
also houses the collected works of William Shakespeare gifted to Chandramukhi
Basu, one of the first female graduates of the British Empire, by Ishwar
Chandra Vidyasagar on clearing her graduation examination.
Librarian’s take: “To get access to various ebooks and
ejournals, teachers and other members of the library are registered to
INFLIBNET-N-List programme of the University Grants Commission. Through this
platform, students can access more than 5,000 journals and books,” said
librarian Anjali Maisal.
Students speak: “We get almost all the important books from
the library. I’m in my second year of college, and till date, I haven’t had to
buy any books. I have relied completely on the collection of our library for my
studies,” said Rashni Podder, a BA student.
Lady Brabourne College Library
Number of books: 1,00,000+
Process of maintenance: The books are classified following the Dewey
Decimal Classification System. Under this system, books are broadly divided
into 10 groups and each book is assigned a call number. This way, it becomes
easier for the librarians to maintain the collection.
Speciality of the library: There are books of six different languages —
Bengali, English, Hindi, Urdu, Persian and Sanskrit. Old editions of books,
which include the first and second editions of various novels by Bankim Chandra
Chattopadhyay, have been preserved in the library. Moreover, the library
welcomes various research scholars who are working on topics like history of
language and literature, women empowerment and many more. The library has a
rich collection of rare books too. It has preserved original editions of
Shakespeare’s novels that date back to the 16th century.
Librarian’s take: “The college was established in 1939 for
educating Muslim girls. We not only have books related to the college
curriculum, but also several important reference books for the enrichment of
both students and teachers. Old and rare magazines of the pre-Independence era,
like Tatwabodhoni and Bichitra, have been preserved carefully and have been digitised,”
said librarians Mitali Bhattacharya and Abira Chakraborty.
Students speak: “I really like the environment of the
library. Our professors often take classes here. We can access various rare
online journals for free, as the college has subscribed for it. It helps us a
lot as these journals are otherwise not available easily,” said Snehanjana
Chatterjee, a botany student.
Techno India University Library
Number of books: 55,000+
Process of maintenance: The authority uses a database system called
LibSys to ensure books don’t get displaced. Library space has been increased
and the book-lending process has been upgraded as per modern requirements.
Acquisitions, ordering and returns are done through LibSys. There is another
software used called Opac through which both students and teachers can find the
exact book they are looking for.
Speciality of the library: One can avail nearly 2,500 ebooks from this
library. Access is given to the teachers and research scholars too. With the
credentials, anyone can access ebooks from any corner of the world. Ejournals
are available not only in readable format, but individuals can download them
too.
Librarian’s take: “The university was established in 2012, but
the library started functioning from 2013. The library has been upgraded as per
the requirements of the students and faculty. Most students here are from an
engineering background. We provide them hard copies of books to study from, so
students need not rely only on digital versions,” said librarian Mousumi Patra.
Students speak: “The library is a special space for us to
sit, read and borrow books. We hardly need to buy any books. We get various
books from this library. Apart from academic books, there are some really good
novels too. So, if a student wants, he/she can enjoy reading books in this
peaceful place with a cup of coffee,” said Akash Chakraborty.
Loreto College Central Library
Number of books: 65,000+
Process of maintenance: To maintain the library, the authorities
have introduced a computerised
catalogue and issue-return system. It also
features a biometric attendance system. Old books, that have a certain value,
have been kept separately and are not in circulation. Those books have been
there since the foundation of the college in 1912.
Speciality of the library: The college has a dedicated library society,
which was started to encourage the use of the library and promote reading among
students. The members of the society organise and participate in various
activities related to books, community, culture and communication. The society
also organises a treasure hunt where students have to retrieve information from
various resources in the library. The library has books in English, Bengali,
Hindi as well as various foreign languages like French and German.
Librarian’s take: “It is not merely a storehouse — there is a
lot of footfall. It is the hub of the college. I consider it a very active
library. Every year, nearly 500-600 new books are purchased. There are numerous
ebooks and ejournals, which can be accessed by the students and faculty through
computers in the library and at home as well,” said librarian Papia Mukherji.
Students speak: “The library is well stocked with a lot of
resources for us to use. We have various books and journals from quite a number
of sources. I’m from the English department and find this place well equipped
for our academic purposes. We have a number of books in foreign languages too,”
said Mohini Pradhan.
Asutosh College Library
Number of books: 50,000+
Process of
maintenance: The existing
collection of books is cleaned regularly throughout the year. Along with manual
sweeping, the entire library has been air-conditioned so that books can be kept
in a controlled environment. Apart from this, the authorities also do pest
controlling regularly.
Speciality of the library: The library has a separate section of audio and Braille titles. Along with that, they have a collection of rare books that date back to the 19th century. The college has its own magazine, where both the faculties and the students write. They have preserved most editions of that magazine since 1924. They have been digitised and uploaded on an online platform, so that anyone can access them from any corner of the world.
Librarian’s take: “On an average, we buy nearly 2,000 books every year. We have adopted a unique method to buy the books. We send invites to a number of publications and organise a book exhibition on our campus every year. From there we get to select a huge number of books. We also have a separate section completely dedicated to Sir Ashutosh Mukherjee,” said librarians Gouranga Charan Jana and Amitabha Pramanik.
Students speak: “The library has plenty of books. Moreover, the facilities are very student-friendly. We can borrow books without any complications and take them home for our studies,” said Rohan Bera, an electronics student.
— Pushpita Dey
Source |
Times of India | 21st March 2018
Regards
Mr. Pralhad Jadhav
Master of Library & Information Science (NET
Qualified)
Senior Manager @ Knowledge Repository
Khaitan & Co
Mobile @ 9665911593
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