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Permalink Reply by Mamta Tiwari on January 23, 2014 at 4:00

usefull information

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Permalink Reply by Siddhartha Shankar Ray on January 23, 2014 at 21:35

Dear Sri Biju Joy,

  Many thanks for your post and for thinking differently!!

   I noticed that you have quoted an OCLC material. It means (at least to me and I believe that many in this forum will share my view) that you keep yourself in touch of global events. It is indeed great and quite befitting for a LIS professional (in whatever capacity s/he is working!) However, there is a major difference between THEIR Libraries and OUR Libraries, For instance the New York Public Library and any Public Libraries in any Indian Metro cities, you may find a vast difference. Not only in any single aspect like collection, varieties of materials, budget, ambiance staff or service but also in totality!! As far as my knowledge is concerned, except the Public Libraries in Delhi and Chennai, there is no public Library in any metro cities in India where you can get access to global information!! I am not meaning that they are in any way comparable to NYPL, still, what these two libraries have, the other metro city libraries in India don't have at all!

The concept of Library in our country is extremely different, socially, economically, intellectually and never-the-less, in functional activities.And above all, our mental set up (or as our idea plain as called by S.R. Ranganathan!!)  As such, we all eloquently support what you have quoted, but in practice we shall just shrug that off!.

For easy comparison, I can just suggest you to please visit the NYPL site and I am sure that you will understand what I meant to say. In fact we do not have THAT orientation about the libraries and their services. Nor our Libraries are yet matured enough to inspire us or infuse our intellect. It may seem bitter but it is true as well!

One may find many aged Indian (especially at the NYPL at Manhattan) engrossed in reading and personally speaking, seeing them so involved, a strange and funny question came to my mind, I wondered whether they were EVER so much involved in reading or were EVER so fond of reading  in any public libraries in India??     I am leaving the answer you you all as we all know it!!

So you know that our habit changes according to places.

I again convey my thanks and appreciation for your post.

Sincerely,

Siddhartha S. Ray, Calcutta

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