Connemara library displays pages from past

CHENNAI: Heritage Connemara Public Library has thrown open its doors to readers to browse through rare, century-old books, as part of its week-long celebrations of the World Book Day. Dating back to 1730, some books throw light on multiple facets of Indian history, art, culture and linguistics after the British took over the reign.
The old building of the library, which is usually shut for visitors, has been opened till Saturday to witness the marvellous structure stocking more than two lakh books. Some rare collections on display include hand-written copy of the first edition of Indian Constitution bearing the signatures of constitution framers, a collection of voyage written in 1732 and a 2.75ft long atlas printed during mid-1850 and a survey of villages in Tirunelveli.
S Rajendran, upper division assistant of the library said a total of 300 books are on display. “Of these, 250 books are more than 100 years old. Unlike previous years, we have segregated books based on subjects for the convenience of readers,” he said. One of the highlight of the exhibition is works of Rabindranath Tagore, published a century ago. This apart, visitors can also have a glimpse of Latin literature on medicine published in 1553 and Bible belonging to 1608 kept in glass showcase box.
C Damodaran, who served in the library as a reference assistant for 20 years, said precious old books are being segregated from the regular books for preservation. “Pest control activities are done twice a year. Moreover, the pages of these books are of high quality and the drawings featured in the books have not faded out,” he said. These books will survive for a longer time due to their quality, but should be kept away from pests, he added.
Established in 1896, the library is a repository of centuries-old publications.
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