Libraries still thrive despite digital onslaught

Warangal: Who said libraries have become obsolete with the advent of digital? The Warangal Central Library, a stone's throw from Hanamkonda public garden, continues to be the lifeline for those preparing for competitive exams.

The very sight of the library, which is fully packed with aspirants, vigorously preparing for various competitive exams these days, reflects the tale of unemployment and the plight of lower medium and marginalised sections.

Over the years, the world has witnessed sharp decline in readership, and it cast its shadow on traditional libraries. Even though the libraries are no more repositories of printed books with the advent of technology that offers information at the click of mouse, the Warangal Central Library still remains an inspiration for the job aspirants.

It was a hot afternoon with temperatures soaring over 42 degree centigrade when The Hans India visited the library on Tuesday. Indeed, it was difficult to walk through the veranda with the aspirants occupying every inch including the open space available in the middle of the two-storied library.

But for the swish of flipping pages and an occasional murmur, it was an eerie silence on the premises. Joining coaching institutes is certainly a luxury for these job aspirants as majority of them hail from a poor backdrop. All that they have is a reading chair, a plank and Xerox sets of study material.

Due to inadequate infrastructure available in the library, the youngsters themselves fetched reading chairs and planks. They lock their chairs to veranda grill with the help of chains when they leave the premises.

Speaking to this newspaper, A Srinivas, who is preparing for the main exam of Sub-Inspector recruitment, said: "There are not many books in the library that are helping us preparing for competitive exams. We have a lot of publications providing comprehensive information about current affairs and other papers related to competitive exams."

"We prefer to prepare on the library premises even though the facilities and infrastructure available here is limited. It's inspiring to have a lot of job aspirants preparing seriously in the library," Varikole Ramesh said. Most of us find it difficult to prepare at our homes or rooms, he added.

Warangal urban district Grandhalaya Samstha president Md Azeez Khan said: "We are procuring books and magazines based on job aspirants' demand. Despite fund crunch, we are able to procure infrastructure such as computers, benches, air-conditioners and air-coolers for the comfort of those preparing for jobs."

He said that the library is kept open from 5 am to 10 pm even though the working hours are 8 am to 8 pm for the benefit of those preparing for jobs. The library will be renovated with an outlay of Rs 92 lakh as part of Smart City project, he said.