Rupani announces a one-crore-rupee grant for Vadodara’s District library

CM Vijay Rupani announced a one-crore rupee grant to five district libraries on Saturday. One name, out of the five, was that of Vadodara’s District Library in Gotri. While there have not been meetings or discussions about fund allocations with the people who oversee the place, the librarian was optimistic about the grant’s on-ground utilization.

With a collection of 30,600 books, 19,589 total members, and 6,633 books in circulation, the District library was initially erected in 2005 at Alkapuri and later shifted to Gotri. According to the government’s notification, the grant was meant to refurbish libraries by making them “up-to-date” and “smart”.

According to librarian Rucha Ahmed Kothari, the government conducts yearly meets to review the needs and the on-ground situation of the libraries. She believes that one such review made them eligible for the grant. Mostly speculative about the government’s grant, she said, “There has not been a meeting about the grant. Yet, we feel that it can be used to put up RFID tags, completely computerize the issuing process, install audio-visual facilities, give a provision of audiobooks, and also arrange refreshments for the readers.”

The library, before the pandemic, hosted students in its study space or daily newspaper readers. However, due to the rising cases, the library barred sitting spaces. According to Kothari, the circulation of books roughly stood at 10,000 books before COVID, but it took a slight dump due to the pandemic. An additional unique facility at the library is of selling old magazines and periodicals on a first-come-basis at a 90% discount.

A student room has also been set up at The Central Library near Mandvi at an estimated cost of Rs. 2 crores and is reported to be operational shortly. The 3-year-old facility at Gotri has books in English, Gujarati, and Hindi. With a one-crore rupee grant, the librarian was hopeful that the collection of books would also receive a boost. Although the grant shows promise, let alone a drawn-out plan, even a date for the meeting has not been scheduled for further steps.