New Delhi, Dec 22 (PTI) The Central Library of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi set up in 1958 at the iconic Town Hall in the walled city, has been shifted to the towering Civic Centre here, officials said on Thursday.
The 1860s-era Town Hall in old Delhi’s Chandni Chowk served as the headquarters of the MCD from the time of its inception till it was moved to the 28-storey high complex — Civic Centre.
Special Officer of the MCD Ashwani Kumar on Thursday inaugurated the library in the presence of Municipal Commissioner Gyanesh Bharti. It is located on the third floor of the E Block of the Civic Center.
The Civic Centre, officially known as the Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Civic Centre, the headquarters of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) was inaugurated on April 22, 2010.
The state-of-the-art complex houses five buildings, the tallest of which is 28-storey high.
“The old Central Library of the MCD had about 8,000 books and nearly 6,000 books have been shifted to its new location. The Central Library set up in 1958 when the MCD began its journey, has some very rare books in its possession, including an original copy of the Constitution of India. It has now found a new home,” an official source told PTI.
The MCD came into being in 1958 and Town Hall served as its headquarters till 2009, and from April 2010 the headquarters was formally shifted to the swanky and towering Civic Centre complex in front of the New Delhi railway station.
Town Hall was built in 1860s and construction completed in 1866. The building was earlier called Delhi Institute or Lawrence Institute, and is still considered one of the most iconic buildings of the city.
A heritage renewal project for the over 150-year-old building which has seen years of neglect, has been planned by the NDMC for the past several years, but it has not taken off the ground yet.
The erstwhile unified MCD was trifurcated in 2011 into North Delhi Municipal Corporation (NDMC), South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC) and East Delhi Municipal Corporation (EDMC), and early this year the three civic bodies were unified, coming into effect from May 22.
“The Central Library of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi was established in 1958 at Town Hall, Chandni Chowk. Since its inception, this library has been an important center of study for public representatives as well as corporation officials, employees and researchers. There are more than six thousand books in the shelves of the Central Library, in which some books are timeless and precious,” a senior official said.
Apart from this, there are a large number of government reports, reference books, books on the constitution, law, science, commerce, history and literature. Various important books in Hindi, English, Urdu, and Indian languages are available in the library.
A copy of the original version of the Constitution of India, civil list and gazettes of pre-independence era, historical documents are also available in the library. Apart from these, a large number of books are available here through which readers can get information about the rules, laws and history of the corporation, he said.
The Central Library has been fully computerised providing seamless facility of catalogue search and issuance of books and its online tracking, the civic body said.
An Online Library Management System has been prepared for the issuance and receipt of books or publications for the users. A QR code and e-mail would be used for sending alerts to users for return of books. A dedicated home page has also been designed and it has been linked with the official website of the MCD.
The library shall also digitise its vast pool of literature for online access, they said.
Latest books, reference books are also included in the library. Equipped with modern facilities, comfortable furniture, drinking water, washroom, white light-comfortable for the eyes, etc., the library also has a reading room. The library is presently subscribing to more than 25 magazines, journals and newspapers, officials said.
The library shall run from 9 AM to 5:30 PM on all working days. It will be closed on Saturdays, Sundays and gazetted holidays. News correspondents accredited by the Directorate of Press & Information can also use the library facilities as per rules applicable, they said. PTI KND RCJ
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