Reading between the lines, literally

BANGALORE: Dusty racks, dog-eared pages, musty leather-bound old books, magazines with pages shorn off. These are images of ‘public libraries’.
But for the 21,000 plus people who visit the 83 public libraries in Bangalore every day, these libraries are still a haven of knowledge, whatever the shortcomings.
Nearly 60 per cent of these visitors come to read newspapers and periodicals, says T.Malleshappa, director of the department of public libraries. The others are students accessing reference material and textbooks for study, or serious readers who just read.
Says Sadashivappa, a government employee at Vidhana Soudha who is a regular at the State Central Library in Cubbon Park: “I have a quick lunch and make use of the break to browse through papers and magazines. I can’t afford to buy them at home. Neither do I have the time to read them during the rest of the day.�
Many may find the cataloguing messy. Byron’s poetry might appear in the ‘Cosmology’ rack. Or it’s likely that the titles you are looking for are unheard of. But the fact that you can sit in some quiet and read makes a lot of difference to students. “Hardly 15 per cent of the literate make use of libraries. The number of readers hasn’t increased in proportion with literacy,� laments Malleshappa.
With the government keen on application of IT in all its departments, the department of public libraries does not want to be left behind. “We launched a pilot project last month at the Basavangudi library to convert it into a ‘cyber’ library with affordable Internet access. We have computerised the cataloguing in three libraries and will complete all the others this year,� says Malleshappa. Next year’s plans include networking all the libraries.
Taking books to places where there are no libraries in the vicinity are three mobile libraries that travel to the same spots once a week. The entire picture is not really rosy though.
While books can be borrowed in many public libraries on paying a deposit of Rs 25 to Rs 40, many books are never returned because a book worth Rs 200 can easily be kept back for Rs 40 or Rs 50. “We suffer losses when people don’t return books. Anyone can borrow. There are no restrictions. It is very difficult to keep track because we are understaffed,� says Malleshappa. Nearly 2,000 books are added every year, 80 per cent of them in Kannada. The city has 65,705 borrowing members. Severe understaffing is proving to be a threat to an extent that some libraries may have to be shut down.
A 6 per cent library cess on property tax paid up by the citizenry is the only source of income — it amounts to around Rs 5 crore a year, while their need is nearly Rs 8 crore, says the director. Nearly 45 per cent of this money is spent on acquiring new books, 15 per cent on periodicals, 15 per cent on equipment and the remaining on maintenance. Most of the buildings housing the libraries are rented; many buildings are not in good shape and often have to be shut down to undertake repairs.
Minuses apart, the department is keen on reforms. And optimistic. Plans are on to open a hi-tech ‘Singapore Library’ in RPC Layout at a cost of Rs 1.5 crore.