Libraries serve a vital role in providing equal access to information, but they have been facing challenges due to declining funding, interest, and competition from digital sources. Efforts are being made to revive public libraries and provide equal access to knowledge, but the situation remains difficult due to a lack of standardisation and declining investment. Rural public libraries offer a space for social equality but struggle to survive. The rise of gated libraries in urban areas exacerbates inequality. Public libraries have the potential to challenge existing power dynamics and promote equal access to knowledge.
In bridging the information gap between urban and rural communities, libraries play a dominant role; hence their role in fostering a more well-informed and educated populace should not be underestimated, notwithstanding their recent depreciation. While it’s true that libraries have witnessed a harsh decline in popularity as a result of the information age, it is requisite to grasp that libraries’ social and intellectual virtues cannot be mirrored by technical advances alone. Not to mention even in the age of abundant digital information, libraries continue to thrive at a considerably slower pace.
Yet, why haven’t individuals and authorities seen the worth and significance of libraries as a part of our social infrastructure? Factors including declining government financing, waning public interest, and the advent of the internet as a speedier and more convenient alternative all contribute to libraries’ plight. Since the country gained independence, the government has initiated several initiatives to assist public libraries. These initiatives include the National Mission on Public Libraries and enhancing school library services by implementing education and development plans. In addition, the RRRLF has awarded funding to library programmes that concentrate on personal growth and professional advancement. Several public libraries located in rural areas have been granted assistance to assist with creating and maintaining their facilities.
Balaji, in co-authorship, propped the deplorable state of public libraries in his paper titled “A Policy Review of Public Libraries in India,”. Unfortunately, most Indian states do not have a law or standardised criteria for managing libraries, making it difficult to ensure that these knowledge hubs work effectively. A lack of openness and accountability is something that experts agree the libraries struggle with, and state taxes, such as the library cess, a surcharge of property tax paid to the local government, city corporation, or village panchayat, was meant to finance them.
In the early 1700s, nawabs and zamindars supported art, literature, and culture in Patna (originally Azimabad). The Bihar Abolition of Zamindaris Act of 1949 abolished the Zamindari system, greatly harming landowners. Some volumes and manuscripts went to larger libraries, while inept heirs sold many. The collections were lost due to a lack of interest, space constraints, and academic and literary tastes.
Currently, there are small but consistent efforts to establish community libraries. In this century, rural public libraries are becoming an important civic institution. They are open and accessible spaces that can reduce unequal access to information, bridge the gap in digital access and reduce disparities between privileged and less privileged individuals, particularly children. They are spaces of social equality where anyone can go to seek information: an elder person reading the newspaper, a women’s group looking to start a small business, a teenager registering for open school or a child who loves everything about libraries — the quiet, the readers taking notes, the magazines lying open on the tables, and the rows and rows of books. Many other district libraries are also struggling to survive, but they continue to be popular among students who use them as a place to study for exams or leisure. Libraries may be more effectively utilised if visiting them as a pleasurable activity is revitalised, and local activities are supported to guarantee that their full potential is realised to fill the gap and demonstrate the important social role that public libraries play in fostering dialogue, discussion and inclusivity.
There are significant, although not impassable, obstacles to establishing a strong public library infrastructure. Many public libraries in India do not charge patrons. As an example of such a group, the Free Libraries Network has over 150 member libraries that have made a difference in their local communities. It’s a sign that people are working together to level the playing field when it comes to reading materials.
Also Read: A Conversation On The Community Library Project and the Free Libraries Network
The Community Library Project (TCLP) is an organisation that has been making significant strides in establishing community libraries in underserved areas of India. Their mission is to create accessible learning, reading, and personal development spaces within local communities. TCLP works with the community members, recognising that they hold the key to effectively sustaining and utilising the libraries. By involving the community from the outset, TCLP ensures that the libraries meet the specific needs and aspirations of the people they serve. One shining example of TCLP’s impact is its library in Govindpuri, a densely populated urban slum in New Delhi. This library has become a lifeline for children who lack access to quality education and resources. It offers a safe and nurturing environment where children can explore books, engage in educational activities, and receive mentorship.
In a culture where few locations are publicly accessible, public spaces provide a large number of people access, both theoretically and practically, without commercial motives. Due to centuries of discrimination, casteism, and feudalism, the illusion of a large population persists even if the reality is far more modest. Maybe this is because the market logic that dominates our day is at odds with the library’s fundamental concept: everyone should have unrestricted, unrestricted access to our common culture and legacy for any purpose they see appropriate. There will be very little left of our formerly democratic public areas.
Public libraries play a crucial role as community hubs that encourage intellectual development and expand people’s horizons. Regrettably, India is severely lacking in cultural spaces, such as venues for development and education. For the 17 states that do not already have library laws, the federal government should write a Model Public Libraries Bill to compel them to do so. In order to reap the most benefits and make the most efficient use of available resources, public libraries must strengthen their connections with one another.
Urbanisation has created a new trend of gated libraries, cafes, and coffee shops, leading to a division of knowledge based on wealth. While the affluent can afford access to these places, those on the lower rungs of society are left out, and knowledge becomes a scarce resource only accessible to the wealthy. This perpetuates the cycle of inequality and marginalisation as public libraries continue to decline and cut off those without internet access from the world of information. The rise of new initiatives marks a turning point in India’s public library development, promoting the creation of accessible spaces for social discourse. Public libraries and makeshift learning centres present a way to challenge the existing power dynamics by providing equal access to knowledge, which has become a commodity regulated by those in power.
