Fourth Indian Library Congress to be held in Chennai on February 16 and 17

The Fourth Indian Library Congress will be held in Chennai on February 16 and 17 at Anna Centenary Library in Kotturpuram.

Before Chennai, the Indian Library Congress was organised in Kerala, Bengaluru and New Delhi with an aim to strengthen libraries which help the poor and marginalised sections of society.

A brochure for the event was released on Sunday. While speaking at the event, DMK MP P. Wilson said that during the event, people would deliberate on the importance of libraries and how it benefited people of all ages. “In the age of digital media, misinformation and endless noise, libraries are the last great democratic institutions where knowledge is free, equal, and dignified. Libraries quietly change lives without making noise. In societies marked by inequality, this role becomes even more important,” he said.

Mr. Wilson said, Tamil Nadu had a long and proud history of treating libraries as tools for social progress and the State today had over 4,500 public libraries, serving nearly one crore readers every year with free access, he said. “The fourth Indian Library Congress invites us to think about the future of these spaces and reminds us that libraries are not just luxuries. They are public spaces that belong to everyone,” he added.

Former Madras High Court Judge K. Chandru said, there were efforts to convert the Anna Centenary Library into a hospital. Today, the library sees a footfall of 10,000 people. School Education Secretary B. Chandra Mohan said, with changing times, libraries are being reimagined and repositioned as a hub for learning.

General Convenor, Indian Library Congress, Chennai, and MP V.Sivadasan said that around 500 delegates would attend the Indian Library Congress, and the delegates would discuss the importance of libraries and the new future task of library movement.

School Education Minister Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi, DMK MP Kanimozhi Karunanidhi, N. Ram, Director, The Hindu Group, Madurai MP Su. Venkatesan, Mr. Chandru, senior administrators, writers, academics, activists and many others will participate in the event.