SAKET PAREKAR Mumbai
More than 85 libraries spread across the state of Maharashtra are expected to be present at the Convention of 100- year- old Libraries at Mulund on Sunday, April 29.
The event is organized by the N C Kelk
ar Library of the Maharashtra Seva Sangh in Mulund with an objective to felicitate these libraries and to encourage dialogue between old and new libraries about the challenges involved in this field.
” Having completed 30 years in the field ourselves, we know how challenging it is to manage a library. The purpose of this event is to appreciate and admire the effort of those who have managed to do this for over a hundred years. Besides, our discussion and interaction could lead to better resource management in the future,” said Nandini Hambarde, secretary of N C Kelkar Library.
Girish Kuber, Executive Editor of Dainik Loksatta, will preside over the ceremony and Dr. Pratibha Gokhale, Librarian at Mumbai University will be the special guest. Each library representative has been asked to bring at least five rare books from their collection to give members an insight into their age, range of books and special features.
In addition, each representative will briefly speak about their experiences and challenging moments with their respective libraries.
” Every library is born in a different setup and grows under different dynamics.
Preservation and diminishing membership are still the biggest issues faced by libraries. In India, dust, bad weather, limited funds, and lack of advanced technology make book maintenance extremely difficult. By learning about othersalt39 experiences, we might be able to find a collective solution to these problems and allocate our financial resources better in the future,” said Mr.
Ravindra Lad, Joint Secretary of the Maharashtra Seva Sangh.
While most libraries have accepted the invitation, some of them are slightly unconvinced about the relevance of the event. Mr.
Sunil Kubal of Dadars Mumbai Marathi Granth Sangrahalay said that the initiative wouldnalt39t offer anything new. ” It is definitely a positive step, but I think before coming up with new plans, we should focus on fixing some of the already existing mechanisms created for similar purposes.
For instance, we already have registered umbrella organizations of libraries at district, state and national level. The only problem with them is mismanagement and lack of coordination among these bodies,” he said. The Sangrahalay recently celebrated their centenary year.
However, Aroon Tikekar, president of the Asiatic Society of Mumbai said that it was a welcome effort by the Mulund library. ” We have a massive network of public libraries in Maharashtra, but most of them are suffering through low readership.
I think the main reason is that over the last couple of decades, the Marathi book industry has failed to produce quality content that would attract young readers.
Writers, publishers and librarians all need to join hands to solve these issues and this event could be the first step in this process,” Tikekar said.
He added that apart from maintenance and preservation, libraries also need to work on improving their existing collections. ” Second- hand and antique book shops in the city are indicators of the citys reading culture. Its a pity that Mumbai, which once had so many of these shops, has so few of them left today.
The only sources for rare books now are public libraries and private collectors.
This convention should emphasize the importance of these personal collections and help the libraries acquire such books to improve their collection,” he said.
