Necessity of Library Rethink; and Resolved

Necessity of Library Rethink; and Resolved

P. S Sreedevi Assistant Professor

Department of Civil Engineering

Malabar College of Engineering, desamangalam, Thrissur – 680551, Kerala

P. Sandra

Post Graduate student Department of Civil Engineering

Malabar College of Engineering, desamangalam, Thrissur – 680551, Kerala

Abstract Public libraries have always been the heart of the communities they serve. The advent of new technology has changed the reading habits. Library is a place need for shared community centered space to find information and connect. They help to create the values and social networks that enable the coordination and cooperation that strengthens civil society. But now days this may have been forgotten due to the drastically changing technologies Through this paper let me point out and give an awareness to the present condition. Its a paper designed to propose a new home for the public library which is undergoing a precarious situation. It was in a state of litigation and a revamp was needed immediately. This will help to rethink; resolve the existing problems. A complete study was undergone and its solutions are specified. The design consists of all the advanced requirements of the current generation library.

Keywords Public libraries; library renovations; problem Solving; Library Proposal

1. INTRODUCTION

   A library is a repository of wisdom of great thinkers of the past and the present. It is a social institution charged with the responsibility of disseminating knowledge to the people without any discrimination. The holdings of the libraries are the priceless heritage of mankind as they preserve facts, ideas, thoughts, accomplishments and evidences of human development in multifarious areas, ages & directions. Any loss to the library materials is simply irreplaceable. Therefore, preserving this intellectual, cultural heritage becomes not only the academic commitment but also the moral responsibility.

   This thought was a light to do a project on central library building which has been undergoing an anihilation or extinction. In a country like India which promotes literacy, education and most the past values this is a problem still exists. The great scholars like M.T. Vasudevan Nair and M.M. Basheer was an asset to the field of writing. They led the battle for the Kozhikode central library which have nearly 60,000 books, one of the largest collections. The demolishing of this library for the widening of Wayanad road pay the way to loss homes for these books. If we dont preserve this habitat it will make us to regret losing this huge resource of information and knowledge. There has been a major rethink how exactly the library should be serving the public. Libraries are forced to undergo detailed changes last few years. This study helps in re-inventing and a new home for the valuable book treasures with all the advancement and transformation needed for a library.

   1. History

      At the start of the 18th century, libraries were becoming increasingly public and were more frequently lending libraries. The 18th century saw the switch from closed parochial libraries to lending libraries. Before this time, public libraries were parochial in nature and libraries frequently chained their books to desks. Libraries also were not uniformly open to the public. In 1790, The Public Library Act would not be passed for another sixty-seven years. Even though the British Museum existed at this time and contained over 50,000 books, the national library was not open to the public, or even to a majority of the population. Access to the Museum depended on passes, of which there was sometimes a waiting period of three to four weeks. Moreover, the library was not open to browsing. Once a pass to the library had been issued, the reader was taken on a tour of the library. Many readers complained that the tour was much too short. However, up until the mid19th century, there were virtually no public libraries in the sense in which we now understand the term i.e. libraries provided from public funds and freely accessible to all. Only one important library in Britain, namely Chetham's Library in Manchester, was fully and freely accessible to the public. However, there had come into being a whole network of library provision on a private or institutional basis. Subscription libraries, both private and commercial, provided the middle and middle to upper class with a variety of books for moderate fees.

   2. Importance of Libraries

      The story of human civilization indicates that libraries have been an essential part of civilized society. They came into being to serve the needs of the society. Libraries have played an important role in the social, political, economic and cultural developments. In our increasingly digital world, we see the role of libraries as community and cultural centers at times undervalued, and occasionally under fire. so preserving this, for the public undergoing advancements in each field has its own importance.

   3. Role of Public Libraries

      The mission of a library is to provide timely, accurate, current, and reliable information to their users. librarians are devoted to improving access to information and satisfying the users information needs. There is a growing recognition that library services, particularly in public libraries, are an integral part of the national socio-economic development and improvement of the general quality of life. library contributes to education in a number of ways such as:

      • Encouraging reading

      • Expanding learning process

      • Developing learning skills

      • Developing appreciation, attitude, and value

      • Assisting with development task

   To be successful in life, youths must have access to basic information that will keep them informed and educated because educating youths is building a country since they are always referred to as leaders of tomorrow. Libraries can help in building self-confidence and self-worth in youths by providing resources that will help to broaden their capacities. The primary purposes of the public library are to provide resources and services in a variety of media to meet the needs of individuals and groups for education, information and personal development including recreation and leisure. They have an important role in the development and maintenance of a democratic society by giving the individual access to a wide and varied range of knowledge, ideas and opinions.

2. CENTRAL LIBRARY DOWN MEMORY LANE. The District Central Library was formed in 1979 under the

   Local Library Authority (LLA) and was functioning in a building in the 30 cents of land issued by the government. The government shifted the central library to a building of the Motor Vehicles Department at Chevayoor for revamping the building. An advisory committee with the then collector Amitabh Kant as chairman was constituted in 1992 and a sub- committee was formed in 1993 to look after the construction of the library. The advisory committee included noted writers M T Vasudevan Nair, Thikkodiyan, M M Basheer and leading journalists such as P Damodaran of MalayalaManorama, besides the deputy collector, mayor, MP, MLAs and the chairman of Calicut Development Authority. The government decided to lease out a portion of the proposed building to shops for generating revenue to administer the library. The building itself was constructed with the non-refundable advance collected from the shops. When the construction was over, the committee formed the public library and research cntre in it by registering under the Societies Registration Act. The government issued an order in 1995, cancelling the assignment of land to LLA, alleging that they failed to construct a building in the government-issued land. The state and the District Library Council approached the High Court challenging the government order and a verdict in 2005 came in favour of the Library Council, overruling the government order stating that all the assets of LLA vested in the DLC according to the Kerala Public Libraries Act, 1989. It constituted the government to take appropriate action by holding discussions with the two parties. The government issued an order in 2010, instructing the collector to hand over the public library and all its properties to the DLC. The governing body members obtained a stay for the governments order from the High Court.

   Fig. 1The District Central Library in Kozhikode

3. PRESERVANCE OF CULTURAL HERITAGE

   Every district is unique in its way. Its filled with their customs, traditions and cultural heritage. The condition of the district library council of Kozhikode is nearly 60,000 books, one of the largest collections in the district with back issues of over 100 magazines, reference books and official gazettes etc.

   The library, run by the Kozhikode District Library Council in a building formerly used as Kiliyanad Upper Primary School, as it faces immediate land acquisition to make way for a project to widen the cramped Wayanad Road on which it is situated. The acquisition would partly claim the school ground, and once the road work starts, the building would be demolished. The only respectable home for the books that authorities are considering as of now is the nearby Kozhikode Public Library and Research Centre located at Mananchira Square.

   The District Central Library will be acquired shortly. If an alternative space is not given, an entire library will disappear, Mayor A.K. Premajam told The Hindu on January 8. Minutes of a meeting held in October 2012 shows that she had forwarded a request from the district library council, seeking a facility in the Kozhikode Public Library and Research Centre to keep the books and records safe. Records of the meeting showed that the governing body members had refused. We had only asked for room to keep the books. There is space on the third and the fourth floor of the centre, K. Chandran, Secretary, Kozhikode District Library Council, said. We had sought legal advice on this request to move the books to our building. However, we were advised that since a case was pending, it was not advisable to move the opposite parties assets to our property. The court may ask us for an explanation, Mr. Basheer said. He said if the library council came up with a formal solution to end the case and work for the betterment of the centre, the writ petition in the high court would be withdrawn. It was the governing committee members, including M.T. Vasudevan Nair, who had worked hard to collect funds for building the Kozhikode Public Library and Research Centre, he said. We did that because we wanted a top library and cultural centre in Malabar to end the neglect shown to this region and its children. But the decision by the government to transfer it to the library council has interrupted our work. We are even ready to dissolve the

   current governing body. Let there be a new committee with members from the new generation, people who will work for the centre. But we will not tolerate any attempts from the side of the government or the library council to seize total control of the library. It is solely in public interest that this centre should grow and not become a victim of politics, he said. Kozhikode District Collector K.V. Mohan Kumar, himself an author of several titles, said the wealth of books should not go to waste because of lack of space to keep them.

4. RESOLVINGASSERTIONS

   1. Problem Solution

      The concept for the new building for the central library should be developed on behalf of this problem. Expansion of the current system is not possible due to the land use limitations and acquisition. Building walls are already under risk of demolition. There are nearly around 60000 books are being gathering dust, and the need for implementing a new home is inevitable. To change from the current status of the library, a new land should be acquired by the authority. For the survival of the central library without any allegations, the library should have shifted to a new site with all technological advancements. Construction of the library should meet all the requirements for the well-functioning of the system.

   2. Problem Solution Methods.

      It is having two phases for the solution making of the issue related with the library. One is for resolving the legal allegations and adopting a new land for the construction. And the second one is the engineering phase.

      This study adopted a qualitative methodology to resolve the problems for giving rebirth to the central district library. The battles and quarrels between the governing body members and the district library council should be resolved. For that an arbitrator committee should be arranged between the two parties. The discussion should be maintained well. wealth of books shouldnt be wasted due to lack of a proper space.

      Data and details were collected from old newspapers and through interviews. A site is selected which is nearer to the current central library for creating a design. Planning of buildings started by analysing, evaluating the topographical and geological characteristics of the land. Requirements and needs of the library are generated and analysed in deep. Planning has been done as per IS code 1553 and Kerala Municipals Building Rule (KMBR). And all the requirements were included for a good library habitat. Engineering drawings were created such as plan, section and elevation for a four storied central library building.

5. NECESSITIES INCLUDED IN THE NEW BUILDING

   Resourceful libraries have long attracted knowledge- seekers and have played an important role in education and

   research. With the astonishing advances in science and technology, traditional libraries have not remained unaffected and the concept of digital library has emerged and caused a revolution. A digital library section of 98.89m2 area and document reproducing center about 28 m2 is included in the design along with the normal requirements. A digital library can provide access to many of the information networks around the world, which is a necessary component of almost any research experience today. And also a research cabin and a purchase zone is provided in the design. Purchase store in the ground floor upgrades the conventional face of the library. Conference hall, seminar hall and exhibition hall in the design meet the conference aids of the library. An open nature related reading area of 391.40 m2 designed in the top floor. It creates a fresh and a readable atmosphere in the reader. Toilet amenities are designed in each floor of the three storied building. All the requirements and the needs are arranged in each floor according to its importance. All the needed requirements are included in the 6474.976 m2 area plan. Total floor area of the building is 1611.01 m2. Occupancy classification of the library is building class B, educational buildings. Floor area ratio (FAR)for educational buildings is maximum 2.5 without fine. This central library is designed for safe FAR of 0.2488.

6. PREPARED DRAWINGS

   Fig.2. Ground floor plan

   Fig.3 First floor plan.

   Fig.4 Second floor plan.

   Fig.4 Third floor plan.

7. SUMMARRY

   • Remembering the role and the importance of libraries.

   • Need for a shared community, centered spaces to find information and to connect.

   • Solving issue of past few years and proposing a new home for the valuable book treasures.

   • Prepared plan of a three storied library building as a problem soltion.

   • Greater scope of further improvements in terms of equipment, technology and facilities of a library.

   • District Central Library is to be enhanced both qualitatively and quantitatively.

8. REFERENCES

1. C. Dahlgren, Public Library Space Needs: A Planning Outline, Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction. Madison, Wisconsin, pp. 1- 35, July 2009.

2. M.B Gerard, R.K James, Planning The Modern Public Library Building, The Libraries Unlimited Library Management Collection, 2003.

3. Brawner, B. Lee, Beck and K. Donald, Determining Your Public Library's Future Size: A Needs Assessment and Planning Model, American Library Association, Chicago.

4. K. Nancy, Libraries create social capital, November 2001.

5. Anila Backer Public, central librarys gathering dust, Indian express, June 18, 2014.

6. K. Raja Gopal, Wayanad road widening to render homeless 60,000 books, The Hindu newspaper, January 8, 2013.

7. Damned into oblivion Indian express, June 19, 2013.

8. Becker and Christine. Engaged Libraries Leading the Way, National Civic Review, Winter 2012, pp. 21-23.

9. Latimer, Karen and Hellen Niegaard, Library Building Guidelines: Developments and Reflections, Munich, 2007.

10. R. A. Audunson, The public library as a meeting-place in a multicultural and digital context: The necessity of low-intensive meeting-places, Journal of Documentation, pp. 429-441.