THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The State Central Library (Public Library) in the capital city is an avenue for people to imbibe reading culture and make it an essential part of life. It is like a never-ending spring. People are exposed to writings of different tones, philosophies, and thoughts. 'Anything to everything' is available on the shelves of this iconic British era building. It was this same building and its books that chiselled out many prominent figures across various milieus.
However, it won’t be an exaggeration to say that reading has lost its sheen. The digital revolution has eclipsed the culture of reading, and it is evident in the corridors of this famed building. Youngsters do visit the library, but to prepare for competitive exams rather than to read. They will stay in the library for hours, scrolling through their topics on laptops, accompanied by the eerie silence of the study room on the second floor.
By the end of exam season, the youths will also disappear from the building. However, it is the seniors who religiously visit the building every day to enjoy and keep intact the art of reading in this tranquil space. Library officials expressed relief seeing a small percentage of children regularly coming at least once a week to read classic novels.
There are one lakh active members. Membership is open to those aged 14 and above.
This library began functioning in 1829 during the reign of Swathi Thirunal Ramavarma of Travancore. The library was established to commemorate the Jubilee celebrations of Queen Victoria. In 1847, the library became a registered society. In 1894, the society, which was registered as a joint stock company, became the Public Library Association. In 1897, it was handed over to the Travancore government and opened to the public by the then king, Sree Moolam Thirunal. Since 1938, the library has been under the control of the Travancore University. Since 1988, the administration has been entrusted to a committee with the Secretary to the Department of Higher Education as the president and the State Librarian as the convener.
" It is inspiring to see seniors still finding time to visit the library and read books studiously. The participation of youngsters needs to improve", said P K Shobana, State Librarian.