पुस्तकालय केंद्रीय विद्यालय चंदेरी, अशोकनगर LIBRARY KENDRIYA VIDYALAYA CHANDERI, ASHOKNAGAR

 Top 10 must-visit biggest Libraries of India

 

                             Image: Shree S. R. Ranganathan 

Listed below are some facts on the noted scholar S.R. Rangnathan that you must know:

• S.R. Rangnathan was born on August 9, 1882 in present day Tamil Nadu

• India celebrates August 12 as Librarians Day in his honor

• His most notable contributions to the field are his five laws of library science

• His Colon Classification (1933) introduced a system that is widely used in research libraries around the world

• In 1924 he was appointed first librarian of the University of Madras, and in order to fit himself for the post he travelled to England to study at University College, London

• In 1957 he was elected an honorary member of the International Federation for Information and Documentation (FID) and was made a vice-president for life of the Library Association of Great Britain

• In 1962, he founded and became head of the Documentation Research and Training Centre in Bangalore

• He also drafted plans for a national and several state library systems

• Prior to his occupation as Librarian, he was a teacher of Physics and Mathematics

• In the year 1965, the Indian government honored him with the title of national research professor in library science

• The government of India conferred on him Padma Shree, the country's fourth highest civilian honor, in 1957

For all the reading addicts, here is the list of 10 must-visit libraries in India, that have amazing collection:

1.The National Library of India, Kolkata:

• It is the largest library in the country by volume and India's library of public record

• It was established in the year 1836

• It houses 26,41,615 books along with other periodicals, maps, manuscripts etc.

• It is spread in an area of 30-acres

• It was opened to public on February 1, 1953

2. Delhi Public Library:

• It was started as a UNESCO project in the year 1951 by the Govt. of India

• It is the busiest Public Library in South Asia

• It has a collection of about 18 lakh books in Hindi, English, Urdu, Punjabi & other Indian Languages- almost all subjects are represented in its collection

• The library is also the 4th recipient library under the provision of Delivery of Books & Newspaper (Public Libraries) Act 1954

3. Saraswathi Mahal Library or Tanjore Maharaja Serfoji's Sarasvati Mahal Library, Tamil Nadu:

• It is housed within the campus of Thanjavur Palace and had started as a royal library for the Nayak Kings of Thanjavur

• It has a rare collection of palm leaf manuscript in various regional languages of India

• It came under the possession of the state of Tamil Nadu in the year 1918

• In the year 1998, the library installed computers to computerise library activities

• The library preserves all the manuscripts in the form of microfilms

4. Anna Centenary Library, Chennai, Tamil Nadu

• It was inaugurated on September 15, 2010

• The total built up area of this centralized air-conditioned library is 3.75 lakh sq. ft., which encompasses the ground and eight floors

• It has a collection of 5 lakh books

• It also has a Braille section to cater to the needs of the blind readers

• It has a huge conference hall that can facilitate 150 members

5. Krishnadas Shama Central Library, Goa

 

• It was established on September 15, 1832 by Vice Roy Dom Manuel de Portugal e Castro as 'Publica Livraria'

• The status of Library was raised to that of a National Library on February 15, 1897

• It has more than 1.8 lakh books in different languages

• The total pre-liberation collection is over 40,000 volumes

6. Allahabad Public Library, Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh

 

• It has a collection of about 1.25 lakh books on various subjects

• It has rare Arabic manuscripts along with papers of Parliament

7. Smt. Hansa Mehta Library, Baroda, Gujarat

 

• It is the University Library of M S University of Baroda

• It was established on May 1, 1950

• The total built up area of the Library is 80,025 sq. ft.

• It has a single largest Reading Room of 10,600 sq. ft. which can accommodate about 1100 readers at a time

• It has an impressive collection of rare books that include books as old as those dated back to sixteenth century

• Approximately 3,500 books are preserved in this precious collection, which comprises some noteworthy titles, which are out of print

8. Connemara Public Library, Chennai, Tamil Nadu

 

• It was established in the year 1896

• It is one of the four National Depository Libraries, which receive a copy of all books, newspapers and periodicals published in India

• It serves as a depository library for the UN

9. State Central Library, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala

 

• It was established in the year 1829 AD

• It has a total collection of 3,67,243 documents in different languages such as English, Malayalam, Hindi, Tamil, Sanskrit in various disciplines

• The library subscribes to 27 dailies and 215 journals including foreign journals

10. State Central Library, Hyderabad

 

• It has an impressive collection of 5,01,861 books

• It also has a collection of about 17,000 rare and valuable manuscripts dating back to 5th and 6th centuries

Source:https://www.indiatoday.in/amp/education-today/gk-current-affairs/story/s-r-ranganathan-343424-2016-09-27