Public libraries are the portal to a better future

covid pandemic It has disturbed our lives in far-reaching ways. Its effect on children has been devastating. Schools and colleges had to be closed in many parts of the world, leaving rural children largely out of touch with studies.

Rural libraries began to fill the void. In less than a year amid the pandemic, Rural Public Libraries of KarnatakaOver 5,600, 15 lakh rural children were enrolled as members, free of cost. This was not possible only because of the enrollment efforts. Oduwa Belaku (‘Light of Reading’), the state’s rural library revitalization programme. This was possible because the children wanted to come to the library themselves. Rural communities now take it further to create study circles, library gardens, book nests, arts and crafts activities, and more.

more than just books

In a recent consultation with civil society organizations across India for the development of rural libraries as community information centres, the placement of chessboards in libraries was one of the many thoughtful suggestions. We agreed that this would help develop children’s confidence and their skills in strategy. Two days later, I was traveling to Kodagu, where I visited a village panchayat in Mulusoge. Its library is spread over three rooms – one for the regular library with tables, books and computers; second, a quiet place with school textbooks for school students to come and study; And third, a room with indoor board games for the kids. Four little girls were playing chess around a table. Another girl with a Rubik’s cube in her hands was watching a game of chess. Just two days ago, we were talking about placing chessboards in libraries; Here in a rural library children were already playing chess. Communities are often very ahead in identifying their needs and acting on them. They only need a few basic enabling conditions.

The National Knowledge Commission’s report ‘Libraries: Gateway to Knowledge’ describes the important role of libraries in social life: “Libraries have a recognized social function in making knowledge publicly available to all. They are local sources of information and learning.” serve as centers, and local gateways to national and global knowledge.” Public libraries are places for lifelong learning. They organize and share knowledge. They build communities. They are not only a repository for books, but also for the ideas contained in them; They are community spaces; They are indeed the gateway to the world.

open access

An important role of the rural public library is to reduce inequalities by providing free access to learning resources. Public libraries do not ask users for money, social status or documents. Instead, they strengthen communities by ensuring that users from all sections of society have access to knowledge that is relevant and useful to them. As Albert Einstein said, “The only thing you absolutely need to know is the location of the library.”

Amartya Sen showed us the vision of ‘development’ in the form of freedom. If development means practically removing the obstacles in the work of the individual agency, then in this great project rural public libraries can make a significant change on the ground.

To remove barriers to learning for rural students, Karnataka has extended the working hours of rural libraries, and kept them open on weekends. More than a third of rural libraries now have computers and internet, while about half have been renovated, some with new buildings, furniture, murals and study tables. In some cases, panchayats have thoughtfully set up terrace reading areas over libraries, where students can continue to study beyond library working hours.

power of example

Realizing the importance of public libraries, communities have started strengthening them. Hoddur, Kodagu has a well stocked Gram Panchayat Library. By the end of the year, this prompted the setting up of a new library at Hadi, a tribal in the same panchayat, which was funded by the local community and donors. Last month, in a panchayat in Ramnagar, the local milk cooperative funded a second library in a nearby village.

Libraries are becoming free. Rabindranath Tagore wrote, “Inside a library, we feel as if we are standing at the crossroads of a thousand paths. Human liberation is contained within the four walls of the library.” This is because libraries are places for many kinds of learning. are – not just the formal education that is found on the cover of a textbook or within the four walls of a classroom. In fact, small rural public libraries with their vast collections and grand facades offer a very different approach to education from the typical university library .

A public library in Mandya.

Achieving reading proficiency for rural children, especially primary school children, is not just about assessment or reading their textbooks over and over; Children need variety of books for their interest. They need to be able to hold those books in their hands, take them home, look at the pictures with wonder and laugh at the stories. Especially for rural girls, libraries provide them safe places to study in a quiet environment.

Not only children, but all rural users, including women and senior citizens, are able to access reading material that interests them and is relevant to their lives. Rural public libraries can create a more informed society where communities can participate effectively in decision-making about their local development.

Small, free ‘nest of books’

According to American library expert David Lanx, “Bad libraries create collections, good libraries create services, great libraries create communities.” Small open libraries – pustaka gudu (“nests of books”) – started in public places in all gram panchayats of Dakshina Kannada district – take this idea forward. Books are kept in these wooden boxes at public bus stops, primary health centers and public parks. People can pick up a book or magazine to read while they wait. In a transactional world where few things are based on trust, small free libraries are a powerful way to promote decency and integrity.

Not least, rural public libraries offer the potential for diverse perspectives. He embodies Mahatma Gandhi’s desire for a home for the free expression of ideas and inner peace: “I don’t want my house to be surrounded by walls and full of windows on all sides. I want the cultures of all countries to be flown about my home as freely as possible. But I refuse to have anyone blow my feet.”

Model Public Library

What might a strong public library system look like? It will have a network of branches in rural and urban areas. It will also have mobile libraries for migrant groups and semi-nomadic communities. In urban areas, it will have city libraries, with branches in slums and migrant settlements. There will be a training program for new recruits and continued professional development for librarians within the network.

It would follow the laws of SR Ranganathan’s famous Five Libraries, which have been his legacy for the public library movement: that books are for use; that every reader should have his own book; that every book has a reader; that a well-functioning library should save the reader time; And the library should be treated as a growing organism. Above all, a good public library system will have a central role in involving local communities in running their libraries as community spaces.

“The establishment of libraries was like building a more public granary, accumulating reserves against the spiritual winter,” wrote French novelist, Marguerite Yoursner. His words remind us of the function of libraries as a repository of knowledge, meant to replenish the reservoir of ideas within our communities. Whatever the cost of setting up public libraries, it is cheaper than the cost of not having them.

The writer is in IAS