The Tirunelveli Public Library
Society was founded in the year 1898,
with the surplus remaining from the funds collected in connection with the
visit to this district of Sir. A.E. Havelock, the Governor of Madras
OBJECTIVES:
The object of the Society was to maintain the Tirunelveli Public Library
(which was started at the time) and occasionally to arrange for lectures on
literary and scientific subjects. In
1933, the scope of the Society’s work was widened; it was re-organized and
brought into line with the Madras Library Association and the Library
Movement. In addition to running its own
library, it took up the work of spreading the library movement in the district. Its ambition is the progressive realization
of the following ideal:- a network of inter-dependent library at the
head-quarters circulating the books among the villages and co-ordinating the
activities of the village centres and securing at the same time as a model for
the village libraries.
A DISTRICT LIBRARY CONFERENCE:
A District Library Conference was held in February, 1934 to focus public
attention on the spread of the Library Movement. The managements of the several libraries in
the district and the representatives of the local bodies who were interested in
rural uplift and mass education were brought together to devise the means of
spreading the movement, Rao Sahib S.R.Ranganathan, Secretary of the Madras
Library Association presided over the
well-attended and representative Conference.
The deliberations at the Conference and the decisions taken on the
occasion marked a turning point in the history of the Library Society.
The first fruit of the Conference was the strengthening of the Managing Committee by the inclusion in
it as ex-officio members, of the District Collector, The District Judge,
etc. The Tirunelveli Public Library was
till then housed in rented buildings.
For the Society to work efficiently it was felt as a primary necessity
that the Library should have a building of its own. In 1935, the Government, granted to the
Society an excellent site in Palamcottah for the building. An appeal was launched for the collection of
funds for the building and a sum of Rs. 3000 was collected from public subscriptions. Then came the generous and timely donation of
Rs. 5000 by Sri. S. Chattanatha Karayalar ,M.A., B.L., M.L.C., of
Shencottah. The building which consists
of a hall 50 feet square with a verandah of 12 feet on all sides was completed
in November,1936 and named ‘The
Subramania Karayalar Public Library
Hall’ in member of the father of the generous donor. The Building was opened on the 16th
of November, 1936 by H.E.Lord Erskine, G.C.I.E., the then Governor of Madras.
THE
THIRUNELVELI PUBLIC LIBRARY:
Attention was first turned to the
organization of the Public Library, on modern lines. The use of the Library was, till June, 1933
open only to the members of the Society, and as the first step in the
re-organization of the Library on modern lines it was converted into a free
Library open to the Public. The books
were classified according to the Colen Scheme.
The introduction of the Home Delivery Scheme within the Municipal limits
of Tirunelveli and Palamcottah extended its usefulness. The library has been affiliated as a
borrowing member of the Connemara Public Library, Madras
RURAL LIBRARY
SERVICE:
Systematic Rural Library Service was
started last year with the help of the Tirunelveli District Board. Books mainly in Tamil are circulated among
the villages and the Rural Development
Centres run by the District Board.
Some of these centres like Mukkudal, Koilpatti, Sankarankoil and
Mangalagiri maintain traveling library vans (which are specially designed
bullock carts) which visit the villages included in each centre at regular
intervals.
OTHER LIBRARIES:
The Tirunelveli Public Library Society
took a number of steps to spread the library movement in the District. The local bodies were urged to open and
maintain free public libraries in their respective areas and run them with a
sympathetic library out-look. The
Municipal Public Library, Palamcottah was thrown open to the public. The Tirunelveli Municipal Council which had a
library was open to the public for consultation only. But it has now been converted into a free
lending library and shifted into the heart of the town. The Tuticorin Municipality
A PROPOSAL FOR
THE STRENGTHENING OF THE LIBRARY MOVEMENT:
The Municipal libraries serve specially
the municipal areas and the District Board and Co-operative Central Bank
Libraries serve the whole district generally.
As these institutions function independently of one another, there is
from the point of view of the general public which is served by all those
institutions together, overlapping and duplication in the matter of the
stocking of books and some wastage in the matter of the staff. It is obvious that if the resources of all
these institutions are pooled together by a scheme of co-operation among them
the money available will go a longer way and give a better return than at
present. The library society is taking
up the question and it is hoped that before long Thirunelveli will set an
example in library organization to the rest of the Presidency.
The
Palamcottah Municipal Council is
maintaining a public library which is located in the municipal office
compound. With standard books of
Literature and fiction both in English and Tamil, the library is popular.
In order to educate the public , the
Municipal Council is maintaining six reading rooms in different parts of the
town and all of them are becoming very useful.
The withdrawal by the Government of its recurring subsidy for public
libraries stands as a handicap for their improvement. It is high time that the Government
reconsider their policy in the matter.
The Municipal Council is alive to its
responsibilities towards the public in educational matters and is doing its
best to achieve good results.
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