Work to set up digital libraries in each district will start from November this year

The work for setting up digital libraries in each district will start from November this year. The officers from the state library department are working hard to start the project in time. Mass Education Extension and Library department minister, Siddiqullah Chowdhury, who took the charge in second term of the Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s Cabinet as library minister, said the work will start from November. “The work will be initiated in November. We will try to finish the work as early as possible,” Chowdhury said.

The digital library is an upcoming trend, as it reduces space crunch. It is actually the collection of documents in organised electronic form, available on the Internet or on CD-ROMs (compact-disk read-only memory) disks. Depending on the specific library, a user is able to access magazine articles, books, papers, images, sound files, and videos.

The state government, however, took the decision to start a digital library to make space in congested district libraries across the state. Most of the library buildings in the districts are age-old and an immediate need of making space is necessary.

However, the website of Mass Education Extension and Library department was refurbished and it was newly launched by Chowdhury just a month back. “The department is also working under the guidance of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and education minister Partha Chatterjee,” the minister added.

The department is also taking several steps to revamp the State Central Library. It is to be recalled that, State Central Library is the apex body of the library system in the state. It was established in 1956 at Emerald Bower at 56, B T Road. It has subsequently been shifted to its present location at Ultadanga in 1996. It is now a six storey building having all sorts of modern amenities situated in a well – populated area connected with well organised transport facilities to satisfy its clientele.

A vision document of the Mass Education Extension and Library department were made by the department. The document is basically a guideline by which the development work would be initiated.