SRINAGAR: The Deputy Commissioner (DC) Srinagar, Dr Bilal Mohi-Ud-Din Bhat, Thursday evening visited the SPS Central Library here at M.A Road to oversee the functioning of the Library and the facilities available there for the visiting aspiring students.
During the visit, the Deputy Commissioner was accompanied by the Deputy Director of Libraries and Research, Sheikh Zahoor Ahmad, Chief Planning Officer, Srinagar, Mohammad Yaseen, Chief Librarian of SPS Library, Ishrat Majeed and other concerned Officers.
The DC inspected various compartments of the Library and was apprised about the centuries-old repository of Manuscripts section housing around 6000 scripts, Rare Books and Miniature etc.
On the occasion, the DC asked the Department of Libraries & Research to explore the possibility of keeping the Reading Areas of the SPS Library open 24×7 while issuing on-the-spot instructions for increasing the functional timing of the Reading Rooms by 7 hours immediately and keeping reading rooms and library open for 15 hours per day from January 13(Saturday). He said the requisite manpower for this purpose shall be arranged from other Departments.
During his maiden visit to SPS Central Library here this evening, Dr Bilal expressed great satisfaction over a large number of students using the centrally located and well-maintained facility to prepare for various competitive exams. He said more such facilities need to be established in and around Srinagar City to cater to the large population of youth who don’t have access to the SPS Library due to space constraints and physical distance.
The DC said that the District Administration is committed to fostering an ecosystem of learning in Srinagar and providing space in the form of reading rooms in the City so that our youth can compete in examinations.
He called for repositioning the Public Libraries as productive Career Development Centres through technological interventions supplemented with the availability of updated online and offline resources regarding job opportunities, scholarships, admissions and Competitive Exams including Civil Services, NEET, JEE, AIPMT, CET, UPSC/JKPSC, NET/SLET, SSB, GMAT, CLAT, CAT etc.
To make the initiative more productive, Dr Bilal called for ensuring facilities like WiFi, printing, scanning and photocopy and cafeteria under one roof in Public Libraries.
The DC asked the Libraries Department to invite Career Counsellors and Subject Experts who will impart key tips to students on how to crack various competitive examinations. He called for sustained and extensive technological interventions in libraries including automation, e-cataloguing and e-circulation to make them more user-friendly.
“It is heartening to note that the Libraries Department has taken various initiatives, in the recent past, to give a refreshing look to the libraries in the UT and make them lively literary places,” the DC said.
Responding to the demands put forth by the students, DC Srinagar issued on-spot instructions regarding augmenting the reading space, maintenance of washrooms and better internet facility.
During the visit, the DC was informed by the Officers of the Libraries Department that during the past 3 years, the reading space in SPS Library has been increased from 90 seats to the existing 350 seats with a dedicated Reading Hall being established for the girls. The Department is also in the process of establishing an IT Hub at SPS Library Srinagar to facilitate the students.
