libraries: Indoor parks for breathing in ideas

In 2020, when the pandemic forced the abrupt closure of schools across India, Karnataka started the ‘Oduva Belaku‘ – the light of reading – programme to ensure students, many of whom had no access to books or online learning systems, don’t miss out on learning. Under the programme, it transformed the rural library network by adding new books, study desks, maps, bean bags and plants, and fixing electric connections. The public, especially students, returned in droves. Today, these libraries are safe spaces for children. They come to read, engage and attend computer or career guidance classes. Adults come for newspapers.

The Indian public library movement began in the 1900s when the first free state-supported library network began in Baroda. Unfortunately, today, the state of public libraries is poor. According to a 2019 ministry of culture study, there are 27,682 public libraries, with the most in Kerala (8,415), followed by Karnataka (6,797), Tamil Nadu (4,634) and West Bengal (2,480). All other states have embarrassingly low scores. In such a dismal scenario, GoI’s plan to hold a Festival of Libraries in Delhi on August 5-6 is welcome. Hopefully, it will push states to invest in libraries.

The best public libraries in the world are much more than just reading rooms. They are active and democratic spaces of public engagement, a kind of indoor public parks where ideas are breathed in, forming a strong social network and framework. At a time when the country is so polarised and fake news is moving faster than ‘real’ news, a strong network of public libraries can be more than just a haven for intellectual stimulation. They can be spaces for promoting understanding and appreciation of the ‘other’ to help build a plural society.