Delhi’s historic libraries are in a monumental mess

An air of decay permeates the premises of Hardayal Municipal Public Library (HMPL) -- the oldest public library in Delhi -- in the Walled City. The tube lights hanging low from the high ceiling illuminates the dark, cool space where thousands of books arranged on open iron shelves are gathering dust. Established in 1862, it has not added a single book to its collection and closed many of its branches in the last couple of years under a crippling financial and staff crunch.

The Hardayal library stands testimony to the ailing public library services in the Capital.

The Delhi Public Library (DPL), set up in 1951, has also suffered government’s neglect for many years. More than half of the 35 branches of the library are managed by staff whose duties extend from loaning out and managing books to cleaning the premises. Several of them have studied up to Class 8 only.

“These people are polite but know nothing about books. At times I inquire about a particular book and get a blank stare in response,” says a library member, who does not want to be named, explaining what lack of trained, educated staff meant.

Several branches of DPL, which proudly describes itself as South Asia’s busiest library, lack basic amenities such toilets and drinking water. One of the oldest and biggest branches of the library in Karol Bagh with over 5,500 members is closed for visitors for over a month because of a legal dispute regarding the safety of the building with the landowner.

The DPL has already closed several branches in the past couple of years, including those in Wazirpur, Netaji Nagar and New Rajinder Nagar.

Until a few months ago, the DPL had not been able to pay pension to its retired employees. There has been no appointment at the library since 1996, and the current staff strength is 189 against the sanctioned 449. The library has not had a director and director general for past several years.

“To meet staff shortage, we are hiring library trainees on contract. The library has faced financial problems, but thing are improving,” says Ramsharan Gaur, chairman of the Delhi Library Board -- the governing body of the library.

“We have recently paid four month’s pending pension to our retired employees. Soon, we will hire a director and director general also,” Gaur says. The DPL is an autonomous body under the union ministry of culture.

Things are far worse at Hardayal library.

Earlier this year, the electricity connection to the library was cut for non-payment of dues and it went without power for a couple of days.

Ironically, the library which has hundreds of rare books -- some over 300 years old -- has an annual membership of only 800 at its main branch in the Walled City.

Like the DPL, the Hardayal library has also shut several branches in the past year. The library had 31 branches till six months ago. Now, it has only 17 with a total membership of 2,071.

“Forget about buying new books, we have not had enough money for paying salaries. Recently, we got a grant of Rs 3 crore from Delhi’s Lieutenant Governor for conservation and rehabilitation of the main library building. Of the total grant, Rs 1.8 crore has been released to the MCD and the work will begin soon,” says Shobha Vijender, member secretary of the managing committee of the library.

The library gets about Rs 3.17 crores annually in grants from the three municipal corporations, which, Vijender says, is barely enough to pay salaries and meeting other expenses such as electricity bills. “There are no funds for overall development of the library,” she says.

The Hardayal library has an acting librarian who worked for over thirty years in the accounts department before taking over the post a few months back. Like DPL most branches of the library are being managed by attendants who have studied up to Class 8 only.

Throughout the day, drug addicts stay around the library building and the area in front of the main gate has been taken over by the parking mafia. “We have lodged complaints with the police but nothing has happened,” said Vijender.

“It is a sad commentary on us as a society that a library with such a great collection of rare books has been neglected for so many years,” said Aditya Sharma, a children’s writer, who is a regular at the library.

A project report, Public Library Service in Delhi: Present Status and Development 2010 -2020, published this year by Raja Ram Mohan Roy Foundation, Union culture ministry, says that it is necessary to enact a Public Library Act to establish and develop a public library system in Delhi. The report also provides a road map for development of public library services in the city.

Prof PB Mangla, former head, department of library science, who wrote the report as a Tagore National Fellow, said the libraries in the city should be taken over by the Central government. “It is a matter of right than pleasure to have access to well-stocked library. A new law is necessary to create a robust public library system in the Capital,” he said.

Both Gaur and Vijender, however, are positive that their libraries will beat the odds.

“We are building new branches in Bawana and Ashok Vihar. We also plan to build a library in Patparganj. Besides, we are upgrading the existing branches,” says Gaur of the Delhi Public Library.

“We are celebrating 100 years of the Hardayal library building in December. We plan to organise an international conference on protecting, conserving and preserving collections of our literary heritage. The idea is to revive our library through awareness and community engagement,” says Vijender.

Hardayal Municipal Library

•Established in 1862 as part of a reading club for Englishmen.

•In 1902, it was renamed as the Delhi Public Library and shifted to a small building in Kachcha Bagh with a staff of one librarian, one clerk and one peon

•On December 23, 1912, a bomb was hurled at Lord Hardinge while he was on an elephant in a procession through Company Bagh (now the adjacent Gandhi Maidan). He escaped unhurt.

•The procession was organised by freedom fighter Lala Hardayal. To commemorate Hardinge’s escape, the Delhi Public Library was renamed Hardinge Municipal Library.

•In 1916, it shifted with its old book collection and furniture.

•In 1970, the Hardinge Library was renamed Hardayal Library.

•The library has hundreds of rare books. The oldest book in its collection, ‘A Relation of Some Years by Travaile Begvenne’, was written in 1634.

Delhi Public Library

•Delhi Public Library was started as a UNESCO project in 1951

•It has 35 zonal libraries, branches and sub- branches with a combined membership of over 1.30 lakh