Chief Minister M.K. Stalin virtually inaugurated a permanent building for the District Central Library in Ranipet town on Thursday, bringing an end to a long-standing demand of readers in the district.
Officials from the School Education Department, which has funded the ₹3.72 crore project, said that the central library was started in the 1950s. The library was functioning in the District Central Library complex in Vellore town for many years before it was moved to a two-storey cramped building of the municipality in Ranipet town in 2019, when the district was created after the bifurcation of the erstwhile unified Vellore district.
Minister for Handlooms and Textiles and Ranipet MLA R. Gandhi inspected the new building complex in the town. “Permanent building for the central library will also have e-books and virtual library facilities. Around one lakh books will be accommodated in the new building as against the existing around 50,000 books,” R. Ganesan, librarian, Ranipet Central Library, told The Hindu.
The existing library is located on a 2,500 sq. ft. land near Ranipet Town police station. English and Tamil books on various subjects adorn its racks. Novels in both languages are also a key attraction. The subjects covered include history, politics, law, economics, philosophy, agriculture, computer and mathematics. “Books on competitive examinations are a big attraction in the library. The new building should also have basic amenities for visitors,” said B. Pavan, a reader.
