THOSE AT the Ernakulam Public Library (EPL) have every reason to be thrilled. For, the membership campaign that had been going on for the last couple of months has been yielding good results. A real surprise in an age of multi-media entertainment.

  "We are expecting another 1,000 to join the library when we started this campaign. We have already crossed that figure by the end of last month. When the campaign ends this month, we expect another thousand to come in," said C. Raveendranath, honorary secretary. Figures, indeed, speak a lot.

  Being one of the oldest libraries in the State, second only to the State Library in Thiruvananthapuram, the EPL has already established itself. Now, it is edging ahead in a battle for survival among younger and more vibrant libraries in the private sector.

  "Even with all the help and aid from agencies like the State Library Council, we expect to raise enough money for paying our employees from the subscription revenue itself. This we will attain in another one year, most probably. Once, that is done, we can use all the funds that we could mobilise otherwise for developmental works," said A.D. Krishnan Asan, president of the EPL.

  The State Library Council is not much concerned about the performance of the EPL. It is concentrating more on the rural sector. "There is already a good reading culture in the city. We want to improve the situation in the villages by encouraging libraries there to take books to houses. This will benefit the women, who are not in a position to go down to the library in the normal course," said Kadammanitta Ramakrishnan, president of the State Library Council.

  Left to itself, the EPL is faring pretty well. If the claims of the officials are to be relied upon, almost all sectrions have been computerised. "You can access the catalogue featuring all the titles we have, since the inception of this library in 1870. among these titles, about 25,000 books are missing," said Mr. Raveendranath. Most of those "missing" books are worn out once.

  Once the membership drive is over, the library will hold a 'Members' Day' for the first time in its history, on April 5. "We are planning it as an informal get-together, where we can exchange ideas on how to improve the performance of this library," said Mr. Asan.

  The EPL is also planning to open up a new world of information and entertainment to children. The membership drive will also feature special offers for children who can join the library with nothing more than proof of address.

  Right now, the library has about 7,000 members, of which 2,000 are active members and records show that about 300 to 400 books are issued daily. With more people walking in and more books lining up on the shelves, the EPL can definitely look forward to having a busy time ahead.

Courtesy : The Hindu