Libraries in Odisha stare at uncertain future

BHUBANESWAR: A majority of libraries in the State - be it in educational institutions or the public libraries -  are staring at an uncertain future, thanks to lack of librarians and severe infrastructural shortcomings.

There are 125 public libraries in the State besides 323 libraries that are operating under private bodies with grants from the State government. Under the Culture department, there are 30 public libraries including 17 district libraries and six ex-district board libraries. 

According to information provided by the General Administration department, a total 398 librarian posts are vacant across all the departments. The empowered committee of the Finance department has this year, however, approved appointment of only 60 posts. 

Interestingly, in 36 Odisha Adarsha Vidyalayas (OAVs) under School and Mass Education department, there are 315 sanctioned posts of librarians but only one post was filled up in the Iconic OAV at Andharua, Bhubaneswar last year.

School and Mass Education Minister Samir Ranjan Dash said that all the librarian posts in OAVs are being managed by ancillary staff or school teachers. This is a violation of norms of CBSE to which the schools are affiliated. “We are going to advertise recruitment of librarians for 35 OAVs in the next one to two months,” he added.

Deputy Director of Culture department Santanu Chhaterjee said only the empowered committee will take a final call on the vacant librarian posts. Another ambitious project to establish panchayat libraries in the State is also moving at a snail’s pace. In 2018, Odisha government had announced setting up of panchayat libraries and infotainment centres in all panchayats for learning and training of PRI members, farmers, women and youths. These libraries were to be constructed within six months to avoid cost escalation. 

In the first phase (2018-19), 1,000 such libraries were to come up and the rest of the panchayats were to be covered in the next two financial years.  However, as per the eGramSwaraj portal under Ministry of Panchayat Raj, 123 panchayat libraries have come up in the State as on today. The State has 6,851 GPs. 
Sai Niranjan Mohapatra, a librarian who has initiated ‘Library Movement of Odisha’ said even after Orissa Public Libraries Act, 2001 and Odisha Public Library Rules, 2016, there has been no concrete development on the front.