A windfall for public libraries in Coimbatore

Coimbatore: Avid readers in Coimbatore will soon find books of their choice in public libraries, thanks to the Transparent Book Procurement Policy, 2024. Under the new initiative, public libraries across the district are set to receive books worth around ₹2.12 crore, covering a wide range of subjects.

Under the policy, an exclusive online portal was developed for book procurement, where librarians, without any external influence, selected books based on readers' interests and submitted their lists.

District Library Officer Rajendran said this is the first time libraries are receiving books under the Transparent Book Procurement Policy-2024.

"Under this policy, the central library will receive books worth ₹5 lakh, full-time libraries ₹2 lakh, branch libraries ₹1.25 lakh, and village libraries ₹75,000. With this allocation, each library will receive a minimum of 500 books and a maximum of 2,000 books within a month," he said.

"Around 7,000 books — covering fiction, non-fiction, competitive examination guides, children's books, academic textbooks, documentary editions, government publications, translated works, and foreign books — in both Tamil and English, were uploaded on the exclusive portal for selection," Rajendran added.

"Without any external pressure, librarians selected books based on their readers' interests. Each library was given a separate login ID and password to access the portal. All 191 libraries in Coimbatore have placed their orders, and the books are expected to be delivered within a month," he said.

Earlier, under the centralized purchase system, libraries received the same set of books, often unrelated to their readers' needs.

"We didn't even know what topics we would get. Now, readers can choose what they want, making the process much more relevant and useful," Rajendran explained.

K Leninbarathi, president of the Library Readers Circle, said this is the first time in India that such a policy has been introduced for public libraries.

"Under the new policy, a review team was set up to select the topics to be uploaded on the exclusive portal. Publishers were asked to upload book details along with a summary six months ago. Based on recommendations with valid reasons, a book list was prepared, and even rejections were recorded with explanations," he said.

However, Leninbarathi pointed out that libraries were not given enough time to consult readers.

"Librarians had only two days to select the books. Ideally, they should have been given at least 10 days to discuss with the readers' circles before making their choices. That would have strengthened reader participation and upheld the policy's objective," he added.

A librarian from a public library noted that public libraries had not received new books for the past three years.

"Earlier, book selections were controlled by officials who favoured familiar publishers, often receiving commissions. The new policy has eliminated such corrupt practices," the librarian said.

"The policy is also benefiting publishers who produce high-quality books, as their titles have now been listed for selection," the librarian added.