Libraries are most important asset in an educational institution especially in higher and research institutions and universities. The philosophy of developing libraries has been the culture from the earliest times of human civilization. Very rich libraries have come up mostly in developed countries. Before the era of printing set in, book were written in hand and called manuscripts and preserved in libraries with great care. But there has happened tremendous change in the art of library maintenance. Today in all developed countries of the west, maintaining of libraries has become a very sophisticated art.
In our State, libraries whether in public or private sector are all of primitive fashion, mostly useless and unserviceable. In the first place, we do not have a single library structure that will be called modern. The public library in Kachi Chhawni is a huge dark and dingy structure with no light and no fresh air. It is a dreary and disappointing black hole. This is true of almost all libraries in public sector and in educational institutions. Technically speaking, these libraries are outdated and redundant. It takes hours in locating a volume although if going by advanced technical management, it should not take more than a minute or two to locate a book. Books are dumped to collect layers of dust. No norms of lending are strictly adhered to. And if Vice Chancellors, top bureaucrats, senior public functionaries, university faculties and junior staff, one and all, are defaulters for not returning the books they have borrowed decades ago, the fault is with the system that is paralyzed. Government does not realize the importance of libraries so that it would bring their administration to the highest level of efficiency. Our leaders, intellectuals and educationists are lamenting that research of high level is not forthcoming. How can that happen when the condition of libraries is so dismal? Incidentally, libraries are not just the places where books, journals, magazines, newspapers are dumped. Libraries are the house of knowledge. They have to organize a vast number of academic activities besides just lending books. Libraries have to have excellent reading rooms, spacious, bright, and healthful with all facilities of reading chairs and tables, table lamps, book racks, relaxing sofas and chairs, television and tea/coffee shop facility etc… It has to be the meeting place of intellectuals, litterateurs, writers, scientists, poets, dramatists, actors and even parliamentarians. That is a dream for our libraries. As long as our libraries are not put on ultra modern standards, loss of books will become a recurrent phenomenon. Decades back, Jammu Central Library used to have a J&K History Books section. It was considered the most precious and excellent section where rarest of rare books and documents were preserved. What is there today? Where are those books, documents, and historical stuff gone? The general loot of our libraries whether in public or in private sector should stop?
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