Leaky roofs threaten the preservation of books and newspapers
The staff of the City Central Library in Sulthangunta is having trouble maintaining the facilities. The library chairs are old and the seats are stained. Also, the ceiling is leaky, resulting in archived newspapers getting damaged.
The librarian in charge, Rita (name changed), said, “We have requested new chairs several times from the Department of Public Libraries. Regular visitors often complain about the state of the chairs.” Rita added that the roof has been damaged due to debris thrown onto the rooftop by people living next door. “After we complained, they are now dumping the garbage along the library walls,” she said.
She further added that there has been no water supply for the last couple of weeks. With no other choice, the staffs bring water from outside. Furthermore, she complained that the kebab shop next to the library has caused a lot of trouble for them. Staff is forced to keep the windows closed to prevent odours from coming inside.
People from the surrounding area frequently visit this library. According to them, the library is unfit to be used for a longer period because of the stinky odour and the dirty chairs.
Damped ceilings in the library
Sagaynathan A, a regular visitor to the library said, “The chairs are quite unfit to use, it would be great if the authorities could change the chairs and do some refurbishment work for the library.”
Aquib, who reads newspapers at the library, said that the kebab shop should move away from the windows of the building. It has, however, encroached on the footpath as well. He added that the authorities should clear the encroachment in front of the library.
An official from the Department of Public Libraries said that they would look into the matter and they will write a letter to the civic body to solve the issues related to the library.
Professor R Rajesh, of the Sociology Department at Bangalore University, said, “The state government runs these public libraries, and it is the responsibility of the authorities to keep a check on these public libraries for the betterment of the public.”
