Write an essay on the history of Libraries in India.
Answers
History of libraries is as old as history of writing. Around 5,500 years ago, people started
recording their ideas on various materials such as clay, metal, wax, wood papyrus, silk,
leather, parchment, later replaced by paper, film, plastic, and magnetic tape and other
electronic forms. At almost every stage in the development of these materials, people
have assembled collections of their records in libraries (The World Book Encyclopedia,
2012).
A public library means that (i) it is publicly owned and supported by taxes; (ii) it is open
to any citizen who desires to use it; and (iii) contains a wide range of material, both
popular and scholarly. Oldest public library in this sense is the Peterborough, New
Hamphshire Town Library in United States of America, founded in 1833. This was
followed by Boston Public Library, opened in 1854. It was the second publicly supported
municipal library in the United States. From 1890 through 1914, public libraries
expanded rapidly in number, collection size, and staff. By 1920, the Carnegie Estate had
donated $50 million to erect 2,500 library buildings, including 1,700 in the U.S. - the
most sustained and widespread philanthropic enterprise ever devoted to libraries.
President Franklin Roosevelt issued a proclamation late in 1941 supporting libraries as
"essential to the functioning of a democratic society" and "the great tools of scholarship,
the great repositories of culture, and the great symbols of the freedom of the mind." After
the World War II, the Library Services Act was passed in USA in 1956, allowing federalfunding for libraries. Public libraries were established in other parts of the world as well
during 18th and 19th centuries. The concept of public library has changed during the 19th
and 20th century due to the awareness among the public and governments about the need
for public libraries for intellectual growth as well as to meet their routine information
needs. In 21st century, they have become a key player in the providing information to
each and every citizen in the democratic set up. An attempt is made in this chapter to
trace the history of public libraries at global level, at national and State level.