The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : A library that is a class apart

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Sunday, Apr 27, 2008
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Tamil Nadu - Chennai

A library that is a class apart

Special Correspondent

A trip down memory lane as American Library turns 60

— Photo: R. Ragu

Amid the book shelves at the American Library in Chennai.

CHENNAI: The American Library here turned 60 on Friday. On the occasion, a function was organised in which academics, members of industry, teachers, non-governmental organisation representatives and long timers recalled its services.

While the fondly-recalled days of entering a different world with unfamiliar technology are clearly over, today it is the blend of professionalism and care that appears to be attracting the 2,300-strong membership.

And even though much of the information previously sought at the library is now available online, access to the American Library’s electronic databases and journals, which can be expensive, is a major boon.

As far as the 100-odd institutional members go, many of which are colleges, the extra resources the Library provides, including digital videoconferences, add a different dimension to the learning experience these institutions are able to offer.

“You can get the latest data on any industry sector and up-to-date information from niche journals,” M. Alagappan, Chief Manager, Larsen & Toubro Limited, told The Hindu.

“We can’t afford to buy books, so to be able to get current information here is very useful,” said Annie Shyam, Director of the Spastics Society of Tamil Nadu.

The lack of parking, heavy doors, tight security and limited hours were the butt of many a kind joke.

But one library lover put it another way — these, Reetika, a professor from Stella Maris College, said, are all “rites of passage on the way to academic enlightenment”.

There remained one change, however, that was mourned by all — the demise of Woodland’s Drive-in Restaurant, whose scrumptious ‘sapad’ fed the body while the American Library fed the mind.

But, as most agreed, for those with a hunger for knowledge, that corner of Gemini circle still hits the spot.

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