The District Central Library in Madurai is a cacophony of hushed silences on Saturday. The rustle of the newspaper and the towering rows of books — most of which are now derelict — cover the reading hall.
A reading room filled with students studying for various government exams is cramped. Classes for the Group 1 exam are well under way as well.
Despite at least 200 walk-ins at the library each day, bibliophiles complain about lack of a good reading hub with the latest books on subjects.
For most, the old covers and the dust-covered, silverfish-ridden books no longer capture their fancy. Young reader R. Janani who regularly visits the place to study for her Union Public Service Commission examinations, says that she is tired of pleading with the library officer for new and updated books. “This year, however, things will change,” she says.
District Library Officer M. Ramachandran says that after a wait of three years, new books will finally arrive at the library and its affiliated 133 branches. Allocation of funds between ₹3 and 4 crore has been made for the libraries in the district as the selection committee in Chennai has picked out the final list of books.
“Usually, the Book Committee as part of the School Education Department sends us a generic list of books and resources. However, our librarian compiled a reading list after understanding the demand across age groups and sent the recommendation to the committee. This way, there would be a personalised approach at the library,” he said. He added that several readers walk in every day seeking the latest books but are turned away.
A source from the department reveals that new books were not sent to district libraries that could not acquire ‘Library Cess’ (10% of the property tax) from the urban local body.
“Only in the recent months, the Corporation has been paying us the cess on time. The delay meant that we had to suffer. We could only afford periodicals and dailies with the acquired amount,” he said.
The copies of competitive exam books, those related to religion and medicine are expected to dominate the pile. The purchase order will be issued in a month, said the District Library Officer.