Job aspirants, readers urge govt to reopen libraries in Chennai – Times of India

CHENNAI: Readers and government job aspirants have urged the state government to reopen public libraries, which remain shut for months now due to the pandemic.
“Now, readers are unable to borrow new books and are forced to renew the same books,” said Aarvalan, who is a member of Connemara Library in Egmore, Chennai.
K Nityanandam, president of Madras Library Association, said that the Chief Minister MK Stalin, when he was the opposition leader, last year asked the government why libraries remain shut when TASMAC liquor shops were reopened. Now he is in the position to take a decision regarding this.
It is not very difficult to ensure that social distancing norms were followed and people wore masks all the time inside libraries. Also, librarians can ensure that only a limited number of people accessed the library buildings at any given point of time, he said.
Besides readers, many government job aspirants depend on state libraries to prepare for Union Public Service Commission (UPSC), Tamil Nadu Public Service Commission (TNPSC), bank and other competitive exams.
“Though these students can manage with online classes or tutorials, not all can afford to buy data packs frequently. So they have to depend on library books for preparation,” said K Sanjai, who handles UPSC classes at a private coaching centre in Mogappair.
Also, many libraries like Anna Centenary Library in Kotturpuram don’t allow all members to lend books. So, the reading rooms and reference sections need to be reopened to ensure that their studies don’t get affected, he added.
R Sakthivel, president of Tamil Nadu Magazine Publishers’ Association (TNMPA), who met CM Stalin regarding this issue recently, has requested his government to buy more news magazines for public libraries as it will be helpful for not only rural students but also lakhs of employees, who work at printing presses across the state.
In response, a senior school education department official said that all 4,650 public libraries in TN were kept ready and they were awaiting the government’s nod. There are roughly two crore books in these libraries. TNMPA has also urged the state to reopen 12,000 village panchayat libraries constructed under the Anaithu Grama Anna Marumalarchi Thittam (AGAMT) and to open standalone libraries in government schools.