Public library in the new millennium : new services for the information age

Abstract

Once the internet and digital media took the world by storm, many IT pundits predicted the death of books and libraries, but it has not happened. Library as a physical facility continues to be much valued and will remain so for the foreseeable future. The role of public library as a center for getting knowledge and information, for recreation purposes or as a social institution, remains paramount. Reading habit continues to be the third most popular activity in Indian cities as found in recent surveys. Books provide huge variety of content, for every class of reader. Besides, for academic and recreational reading, print books are supreme. Therefore, books will continue to be the main resource in our libraries though the internet and e-resources need to be integrated into our scheme of things since they have advantages because of quick search and dissemination. Apart from being a handy information resource, Internet is a great tool for various library purposes including remote access to the resources, publicizing library services, speedy communication etc. The range of services delivered by the public libraries will need to differ from place to place in response to the needs of the community and the principle â one size fits allâ will not work. One challenge in the new millennium is how to make our public libraries relevant to the illiterates and the poor which is a staggering population in our country. Timely availability of knowledge and information will make a change in their lives. Public libraries will have to build up locally relevant content in the form of databases and yellow pages since such information is more useful to the community though not available in printed sources. Author suggests that in Rajasthan wherein the public library act was recently enacted, a pilot project could be tried wherein a cluster of village libraries will concentrate more on interactive knowledge sharing programs besides providing locally generated content. Each village library will have a small book collection, mainly for reference, whereas the lending services will be through the mobile libraries coming from the District Central Library. Public libraries also need to explore more ways to earn revenue in the form of rentals for the halls and display areas, sponsorships for library website, charges for internet service, fees for classes and workshops etc. Author calls upon the public librarians to work closer with other agencies in government, universities, private sectors and civil society in order to collaborate with them for holding knowledge sharing programs. The author concludes with an upbeat note about the future of public libraries in India. Indiaâ s National Knowledge Commission has recognized public libraries as powerful agencies of the knowledge economy. The National Planning Commission has agreed to earmark Rs 1000 crores in the XI Plan for the development of libraries and another Rs 1000 crores will be mobilized from public private partnership. These are very positive signs and public libraries should look forward to brighter days in future.