Page 105 - DLIS101_LIBRARY_AND_INFORMATION_SOCIETY

Library and Information Society

Notes manuscripts covering the universe of knowledge. Admission to library was restricted to scholars.
Other ancient universities, such as Taxila and Vikramashila, also had valuable libraries. Muslim
influence in India during the 13th century A.D. marked the dawn of another era of learning and
scholarship. The Mughal period gave a further stimulus to the growth of libraries. Mughal rulers
attached considerable importance to libraries and appointed scholars as librarians. The Mughal
emperors were patrons of art and literature. In the period of Emperor Babur, Humayun, and Akbar
many new libraries were established and existing ones further developed. Mughal libraries featured
magnificent buildings, rare manuscripts, and scholar librarians. The names of Maharaja Sawai Man
Singh of Jaipur and Maharaja Ranjit Singh of Punjab will be remembered with appreciation in the
history of library services in India. The Maharaja of Tanjuar started the famous Saraswati Mahal
Library in 17th century A.D. It remains a unique institution in its nature of collection and services.
Libraries established by the kings and capitalists functioned like private institutions and the
admission was limited. Service to the general public had to wait for the British. Unfortunately, the
arrival of the British and resulting political disorder also brought chaos to the Indian way of life.
This was a severe blow to the cultural heritage of India, which had arisen from the Indus valley
civilization. When libraries began developing in India during the early nineteenth century, they
were a western product.
In 1808, the Government of Bombay proposed to register libraries, which were to be given copies of
books published from the “funds for the encouragement of literature”. According to the “Sinha
Committee”, this was the beginning of the first phase of public library development in India. During
the first half of the 19th century, the three presidency towns of Bombay, Calcutta, and Madras had
public libraries. These libraries were mostly financed by Europeans residing in these towns. Of
these, the establishment of the public library at Calcutta in 1835 was the most significant. This was
the library which later developed into the National Library of India. Almost simultaneous,
subscription libraries were started in many Indian cities. These were, of course, not public libraries
in the true sense of the term, and did not provide free books for all. Founded in imitation of their
western counterparts, the use of these libraries was confined to small, affluent portion of society.
The first three decades of the 20th century can be looked on as the golden age of the Indian library
system.

On January 31, 1902, the Imperial Library Act was passed and Lord Curzon
transformed the Calcutta Public Library into the Imperial Library in 1906.
Developments in Baroda were also notable. The development of public libraries in Baroda was
unique. Baroda developed a network of public libraries to serve the entire Princely State. Maharaja
Sayaji Rao Gaekwad III of Baroda who traveled all over the world was deeply impressed by the role
played by public libraries in the promotion of education in the United States and thought of extending
such benefits to his own subjects. In 1910 he invited an American expert, William Alson Borden to
organize the public library system for his state. The public library movement that flourished in
Baroda was a glorious one. But that was not a general trend of that period because in no other part
of India, a parallel development occurred.
Yet another development during the period was the organisation of a host of conferences such as:
• The first conference of library workers and persons interested in the library movement was
held at Beswada, Andhra in 1914.
• The first All India Library Conference of Librarians was held in 1918 at Lahore.
• The first All India Library Conference was held at Calcutta in 1933.
• The first All India Public Library Conference was held at Madras in 1934.

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