Mandi dist gets state’s first round-the-clock library
MANDI:THE book lovers of Mandi town have a reason to rejoice as the district authority has made the district library to function round the clock.
Earlier, due to lack of the required seating arrangement and limited hours of operation, a number of youngsters were forced to sit on the floor to read.
A LOOK AT THE BUILDING
The Mandi district library does not own its building. It was originally constructed for office purposes and being on the ground floor of a multi-storeyed building, it faced seepage of water and leakage from sewer lines.
However, assistant librarian Kamini Gupta said that three months ago, the sewerage system was repaired and now no such problem of seepage or leakage exists. However, Kamini admitted that the staff has to remain extra cautious during rainy season.
SEATING ARRANGEMENT
In the first week of April, library goers preparing for competitive exams such as the IAS, HAS or Allied Services, took out a foot march from the library complex to the Mandi Circuit House to register their grievances with Mandi MP Ram Swaroop Sharma pertaining to the lack of seating arrangement at the library, who assured them of a solution.
Uday Kumar, a candidate for one such exam, said the district library has a seating capacity of 100, but sees a footfall of around 150-200 people during the day and study for hours.
Kamini however said that the library has seating for 130 persons. “We do have spare chairs but there is no space to lay them out. The situation has improved
as students now visit at night hours also,” she said.
Kumar further said that the place where the district library is situated is also not right as a number of legal typists have their establishments just outside the library and it mars the basic need of silence in the library “Now, with the library being opened for 24 hours, we can study in peace at night,” he said.
Suman Lata, a post graduate who visits Mandi daily from Kamand village, about 15 kilometre from Mandi town, to study at the library, said she catches the first bus at 7am to reach the library at 7.45 am.
“We tend to rush to reach early to secure a seat. But some boys do
offer their seats to females and themselves sit on the floor to study,” she said.
Meanwhile, Mandi MP Ram Swaroop has ordered the district administration to find a new suitable place to construct library complex and has assured financial assistance for the same.
BACKGROUND OF THE LIBRARY
The library was started in Mandi in 1961. Earlier, it was established in the Government Degree College complex. However, the college complex was far off from the main town and thus, later shifted to the ground floor of the court complex at a century old building — Emersion House.