On Monday afternoon, a huge crowd of people waited outside the Eloor Lending library in T. Nagar, leading to a traffic jam on the road outside. The library, which is shutting down, had announced an ‘everything-must-go’ discount sale on the books, which had attracted the large crowd. There were so many people that the library staff had to regulate entry.
“People have been coming to buy books ever since word got out that the library was going to shut. If we had even half this number as members, maybe the library wouldn’t have to close down,” a former member of the institution remarked.
Among the few existing lending libraries in the city, Eloor had wooed book lovers for over 27 years in T. Nagar. With an increase in people opting to buy books online at lower prices and e-readers offering formats which are easier to access, it has been a mixed bag for libraries in the city, which have seen a decline in newer patronage.
At Senthil Lending Library, a smaller facility in R.A. Puram which has been functioning for decades, a few members are checking out books.
S. Punitha, a homemaker from the area, who has been a member for 13 years, said she prefers borrowing books and magazines from the library to e-readers and other online options.
“With living spaces getting more cramped and book stores in the city shutting down as well, the library will remain my first option,” she said.
Patrons like her, who have been members for years, and a number of children who frequent the library during summer holidays are what keep it running, said A. Usha, the in-charge there. “While we haven’t seen a steep decline in patronage, we do not get as many new members as we used to,” she said.
Delivery services
To battle the decline in new memberships, lending libraries in the city have begun to offer delivery and pick-up services for books from the houses of their members.
“We still offer this at a nominal cost and senior citizens who borrow magazines or novels at least thrice a week prefer this,” said the coordinator of a library in Adyar.
Among the libraries in the city, the venerable Madras Literary Society library is an oddity. It has, in the last couple of years, seen a jump in members from 150 to 400.
“Organising events such as talks and discussions every weekend on the library premises has helped us bring in more people. Many of them were unaware of what the library had to offer and we are now building a catalogue of the latest books as well to appeal to new members,” said Rajith Nair, a member-volunteer with the MLS Library.
For those like R. Ramya, a project manager who continues to frequent a lending library, the allure is largely owing to the recommendations by librarians and the memories attached to the place over the years. “My whole family has been associated with the institution for years now. Any time there is an interesting new book or an author who is gaining popularity, we are informed by the staff at the library to come and pick it up,” she said.
