Indian Libraries: Turning Pages To Reinvent Themselves
We all know the importance of reading and how libraries have historically been the great equalisers of this process. Indian libraries are also changing with time, by embracing e-resources, automation, and AI-enabled discovery. For example, the Coforge Public Library and The Japan Foundation Library offer an experience to their readers. Anuradha Sehgal, who spearheads the Coforge initiative, shares, “A library needs both a well-curated collection and, a safe, inspiring space in which people actually want to read.” In a country where many families live in compact urban homes, she argues, that second ingredient matters just as much as the books themselves.
What’s striking is how much of this transformation had nothing to do with library science orthodoxy. Coforge dropped the Dewey Decimal System in favour of bookstore-style BISAC categories, reasoning that first-time visitors “find numerical codes intimidating.” They built children’s sections with face-forward book displays, wide wheelchair-accessible aisles, and reading tables with proper personal space. The result has been striking enough that the Delhi Public Library network has reportedly approached the Coforge team to learn from a “reader-centric approach” built, as Sehgal notes, “not around convention but around experience.”
Whereas, the Japan Foundation Library is a proof that a specialised collection can become a genuine cultural bridge rather than a static archive. Librarian Sangam Kumari describes an institution that pulls young readers in through manga and anime before, in her words, they “later explore Japanese literature, history, philosophy and language learning.” Haiku workshops, origami sessions, and themed book months turn borrowing into participation. It is a reminder that curiosity, once earned, tends to compound.
But, there is another side of public libraries which remain starved of funds, staff, and imagination. Ask anyone close to institutional book procurement and the list of complaints is consistent. Rohit Raj Mirchandani of Capital Books points to “inadequate funding, rising costs of foreign published books and digital resources,” alongside outdated collections and a shortage of digital infrastructure. Manish Jain of T V Enterprises largely agrees, citing “delayed book procurement… shortage of trained librarians, uneven digital access, and declining recreational reading among students” as the sector’s core ailments.
But one thing comes out loud and clear: libraries need to evolve into community hubs. As Rohit puts it, Indian libraries should “evolve into community hubs rather than remain solely book-lending institutions, through workshops, author interactions, and reading clubs.” While, Manish suggests dedicated regional-language budgets, stronger librarian training, and NEP-aligned modernisation.
Libraries have survived centuries of technological upheaval by adapting what they offer without abandoning what they stand for. India’s libraries are transforming from places people are required to visit, into places they choose to return to.
Happy reading!
Shweta
shweta@allaboutbookpublishing.com