DK’s first beacon library to open today

Mangaluru: Dakshina Kannada zilla panchayat has set up the first beacon library at Permude village in Mangaluru taluk, exclusively for the visually challenged and visually impaired. The library will open on Saturday
The project was taken up under the state government’s initiative of digitisation of libraries. The library at Permude has over 160 books in braille script, and more than 170 titles on social science, history, health, the Constitution, Kannada literature, biographies, fiction, and on M Visvesvaraya and the works of Kuvempu, in digital format.
Visually challenged or visually impaired people can use headphones to listen to digital books, and also read braille script books at the library, set up through the District Central Library.
The government has been setting up digital libraries in villages across the state. In the 2020-21 Budget, chief minister Basavaraj Bommai announced that beacon libraries will be set up exclusively for the visually challenged and visually impaired, at least in one gram panchayat in each taluk across the state. Accordingly, the first beacon library has been set up by the District Central Library, under the guidance of chief librarian Gayathri, at the Permude gram panchayat. .
DK zilla panchayat CEO Kumar told TOI, that the new beacon library has two computers with headphones.
“Librarians will help visually challenged persons to either listen to digital books using headphones, or provide braille books based on their choice. The library also has digital textbooks of various subjects, for class X and PU students, that can be used by the visually challenged. At present, we have a limited collection of books in braille and digital format for the visually challenged. Soon, we will increase the collection. Such libraries will be opened in all taluks in the district soon,” the official said.
There are 203 visually challenged and 224 visually impaired persons in Manglauru taluk, according to the available statistics, he added.