Hi-tech makeover for 161-year-old Prayagraj Public Library

Along with this, the IT team of Smart City has also created the library’s website — www.gplp.up.gov.in — for the convenience of readers.

As part of the initiatives undertaken under the Prayagraj Smart City project to turn the city smart in different phases, the Government Public Library, having historical importance of holding the first meeting of the Legislative Assembly of Northwest Province on January 08, 1887, has now turned hi-tech.

Government Public Library in Chandrashekhar Azad Park in Prayagraj. (Pix by Anil Kumar Maurya/HT) (Sourced)

Having over 1.25 lakh books, rare manuscripts and bound volumes of newspapers including around 500 books as old as 400 to 500 years, the monitoring and functioning of the library is being done through a customised Library Management Software.

According to librarian Dr Gopal Mohan Shukla, the Public Library is the largest in the state as it is the lone library present in Category 5 in UP. “As per government norms, libraries are classified into five categories based on several parameters including

the count of collection of books and manuscripts, daily average footfalls, count of registered members, maximum seating capacity at any given time, annual budgetary allocation, etc.,” he said.

The Government Public Library, having a rich collection of nearly 150 manuscripts and famous original works right from the Mughal period, including the Shahnama, a long epic poem written by the Persian poet Ferdowsi, and the Persian translation of Upanishads by Dara Shikoh, etc., is the lone member classified in Category 5 in UP, he added.

Presently, over 1.25 lakh books including nearly 500 books as old as 400 to 500 years are being monitored and controlled through a Library Management Software. The books and manuscripts have been barcoded to facilitate their monitoring.

Along with this, the IT team of Smart City has also created the library’s website — www.gplp.up.gov.in — for the convenience of readers.

As per the Manager (IT) of Prayagraj Smart City Project, Mani Shanker Tripathi, the automation of the Government Public Library was done through a budgetary allocation of around ₹2.25 crore, including placement of 22 CCTV cameras in different locations of the library.

The 161-year-old library, established in 1864 during the British rule with the approval of the then Lieutenant Governor Sir William Muir in Alfred Park (now known as Chandra Shekhar Azad Park), also has bound volumes of gazettes including: Gazette of India

(1900 to 1953), North-Western Provinces Gazette (1860 to 1902), United Provinces Gazette (1903 to 1951), and Uttar Pradesh Gazette (1951 to 2000), besides bound volumes of newspapers as old as The Pioneer of 1864, Bharatvarsh (Bangla) from 1924 to 1969, Punch

Magazine from 1925 to 1974, The Round Table from 1910 to 1974, Spectator from 1938 to 1973, Economist from 1948 to 1974, etc.

Presently, the library has over 3,000 registered members besides a staff strength of 26.