The Central District Library, Tiruchi, has been organising various outreach programmes to encourage community learning benefiting all age groups. The programmes are conducted free of cost by experts.
Speaking to The Hindu , A. P. Sivakumar, District Library Officer, said the aim was to use the library to bridge the knowledge gap between the community. The library is one of the few of its kind to mobilise the readers’ forum and other stakeholders for conduct of a wide gamut of activities right from coaching for examinations to summer camps.
The library, which has readers in four categories- youth, women, differently-abled and senior citizens, conducts programmes of interest to all. “The youth require coaching classes. We have introduced free coaching for TNPSC, uniform services and other competitive examinations. UPSC coaching too will begin soon. Not all students can afford private coaching and for students who have been coming here to use the reference books for preparation, it is an additional benefit,” says Mr. Sivakumar.
The library also has career guidance and psychiatric counselling every Wednesday. “Students discuss everything from career choices to personal queries with the counsellor, who also offers services for free,” says Mr. Sivakumar adding that the library also hosts a Youth Day celebration.
The women have their own branch of the reader's forum where lectures by doctors and book reviews are held. For senior citizens, yoga classes are also held every Friday.
The facilities for the differently-abled is up to world-class standards, says Mr. Sivakumar. “We ourselves prepared over 3,000 audio-books for the convenience of visually challenged candidates preparing for competitive exams and subject exams. Over 60 people who used the facilities have secured jobs. There are also magnifiers for those with low vision and tactile pathways. We want to learn and impart all of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals set by the United Nations,” he said adding, “we want the library to be a centre for empowerment, for lifelong learning and knowledge creation.”
