Punjab’s libraries languishing for want of staffers, funds

Insufficient funds, unavailability of qualified staff, and mismanagement of resources have mounted the odds against public libraries across the state, which once used to be teeming with students and academics, with most sections necessarily remaining locked.

: Insufficient funds, unavailability of qualified staff, and mismanagement of resources have mounted the odds against public libraries across the state, which once used to be teeming with students and academics, with most sections necessarily remaining locked.

Of the 14 district libraries across the state --- in Nabha (home to the Patiala district library), Mansa, Kapurthala, Jalandhar, Hoshiarpur, Gurdaspur, Fatehgarh Sahib, Ferozepur, Faridkot, and Bathinda --- 10 do not have a librarian. (HT photo)

Of the 14 district libraries across the state --- in Nabha (home to the Patiala district library), Mansa, Kapurthala, Jalandhar, Hoshiarpur, Gurdaspur, Fatehgarh Sahib, Ferozepur, Faridkot, and Bathinda --- 10 do not have a librarian.

Musafir Memorial Central State Library, which was inaugurated in 1956, also does not have a single librarian to cater to its 21,532 registered members with all seven posts of librarian lying vacant. The state library, which is one of the 15 public libraries in Punjab, has 21 vacancies against 27 sanctioned posts.

As per the department of higher education, an assistant librarian and restorer work at the library at present. However, staffers say that the restorer has already taken premature retirement.

A member of the state library, on condition of anonymity, said, “There are not enough staff to run the library seamlessly. I have only been able to go to the reading room as all other sections remain locked!”

Prabhjot Kaur, a librarian at Comrade Sohan Singh Josh District Library in Amritsar, has been given additional charge as the chief librarian of the state library. The dual charge means she often travels 230 km to discharge her duties and has also rented an apartment in Patiala. “I am the only librarian at the state library. However, I cannot possibly look after everything on my own. After all, it is a huge library. We work overtime six days a week to make up for it.”

However, despite the lean resources, efforts are being made to revive the library through meditation camps and motivational lectures. Both libraries in Patiala and Amritsar have dedicated social media pages, run by Kaur.

At times, district language officers are assigned additional duties in district libraries where librarians are not available. However, members grouse that they have not been trained for the job. Baba Banda Singh Bahadur district library in Sangrur has six sanctioned posts, all of which are lying vacant.

The district libraries in the state have 52,372 members and 77 sanctioned posts, of which just 26 are occupied, while 51 are vacant. Officials say that it was last in 1998 that the government recruited librarians. After their retirement, most posts are lying vacant.

Professor Jagtar Singh, director, Collaboration and Partnerships, Indian Association of Teachers of Library and Information Science, while raising concerns about the public library system, said, “The public library system does not exist in Punjab beyond district headquarters. If there are any other libraries, it is thanks to the personal efforts of the people of Punjab and NRIs. Despite the appeals of the PLA, the Punjab Public Library and Information Services Bill 2011 has not been enacted. Perhaps, the government lacks the political will. It is a pity that the PLA, which founded the India Library Association, is not being taken seriously by the government.”

On the chronic staff crunch, department of higher education principal secretary Jaspreet Talwar said, “The government had started the recruitment process, but it was stayed by the high court. It is under litigation at present. In the meantime, we are pursuing other options such as offering apprenticeships to students pursuing masters and bachelors in library sciences.”

Asked why only 14 districts have libraries, Talwar said, “All districts will soon have public libraries.”

Another officer from the department, who did not wish to be named, confirmed that locations were being scouted to set up libraries in different districts.