(14 February 2017, New Delhi) Images of ill-maintained public libraries – laden with dust and poor-infrastructure, barely prompting a second visit – is undergoing a complete makeover thanks to the government’s ambitious National Mission on Libraries.
More significantly, state-of-the-art facilities combining the latest internet technologies are being plugged in to attract the younger generation.
“Some may think that the purpose of a library is to only preserve books, but the world is moving ahead with technology. The younger generation feels that the libraries are full of only books and thus don’t interest them. So, we have to make our libraries such that they are in sync with the aspirations of the younger generation,” Deepika Pokharana, Director, National Mission on Libraries under the Ministry of Culture, told IANS in an interview.
“They have to be made to come and visit again and again. Internet, Wi-Fi and state-of-the-art facilities are crucial for the revival of public libraries in India,” she added.
Prokerala.com has the story in full by Saket Suman.
