India, Laos to exchange 'reading material'

To give modern content to a historic friendship of over 2000 years, India and Laos on Friday signed a series of agreements to strengthen their age-old ties.

The two countries signed a cultural exchange programme for 2011, 2012 and 2013. Both sides agreed to offer scholarships annually for higher studies in universities / institutions in each other's countries.

"President of Laos thanked India for its cooperation in its development. India is pleased to be partner of Laos in meeting its developmental goals. He also expressed appreciation for India's duty free tariff scheme," Secretary (East) in the Ministry of External Affairs Vijaya Latha Reddy told reporters after a meeting between both Presidents concluded.

"A cultural exchange programme was signed for the period 2011 to 2013 and steps India is going to take has been outlined," she added.

Apart from it, both sides will also exchange visits by experts in health sciences for delivering lectures, study tours and training. The National Library, Kolkata, will exchange reading materials including microfilms, microfiches etc. with the libraries and institutions in Laos.

Full report here Sify

National Library plans a ‘Museum of the Word’

The National Library is planning to establish a a Museum of the Word to mark and preserve the long history of various scripts created, used and some lost in our country on continued history.

The museum is to come up in an old heritage building, which was once the home of Warren Hastings, Bengal's first Governor General in the city of Kolkata. The oul building will be converted into a centralized air-conditioned exhibition facility which will display clay tablets, printing equipment, etc.

India has been mother to many tongues and originator or so many scripts and moreover its influenced many more. As for publishing, the country may offer small opportunity to big publishing houses looking to offer books in English but in regional languages, printing houses churn our more than 50,000 titles every year.

Full report here Topnews.in

Classroom don in library hot seat

At his farewell function at the English department of Jadavpur University students had put together a video on Swapan Chakravorty, who was leaving the university for three years to take over as the director of National Library.

The video featured Chakravorty, eminent scholar of the literature of early modern Europe whose knowledge left many sophomores perfectly intimidated, and later dazzled, morphed as the “Don”, the Marlon Brando variety. There was a rendition of the Godfather theme song as well. Chakravorty feels students call him the Don not for his intellectual ability alone.

The wraparound dark glasses he wears contribute too, he says. The appointment of Chakravorty, “Swapanda” to his students, much revered and loved, is expected to turn things around at National Library.

Full report here Telegraph

Librarian calls for preservation

Ashok Kumar Nath, Deputy Librarian of the National Library, Kolkata underlined the need to preserve the old newspapers. Nath, who was speaking on the role of the National Library of India in preservation of Indian newspapers in Guwahati on Friday, March 26, described the newspapers as an index of civilisation.

The Media Archives-cum-National Reference Library on the North East organised the lecture as part of its five-day workshop-cum-training programme on preservation of rare and old documents.

Nath also spoke on the preservation process adopted for newspapers in the National Library.

Addressing the function as resource person, Utpal Das, Librarian of the GC College, Silchar, spoke on the history of manuscripts in Assam.

Full report here Assam Tribune

National Library goes the e-way

Care to access the catalogue at National Library from home? And how about requisitioning books online? Or for that matter, downloading rare, priceless books displayed on the website? From this month-end, you can do it all at the click of a mouse.

Readers from across the world can access the library website (which is being developed as an interactive site) to go through the catalogue and requisition books online. And guess what? Among the enthusiasts is Manmohan Singh, whose ministry of culture has allocated Rs 6 crore for the digitisation project. According to sources, the Prime Minister has played a crucial role in the modernisation of the country's largest public library, which has more than 24 lakh books.

To cater to the Prime Minister's requirements, the library authorities have put up several journals on economics including accounting business, financial history and applied financial economics on the website.

Full report here Times of India

Two ideas of justice in abode of books

A brainstorming session on “eliminating injustice” behind closed doors, led by Amartya Sen and joined by the likes of Sharmila Tagore, Shabana Azmi and Nandita Das, Asim Dasgupta and Sitaram Yechury.

A barracking session of “cholbe na, cholbe na” in front of the director’s office, by over 100 Citu members protesting the “injustice” of the suspension of 12 contractual conservancy employees and disrupting reader services.

The National Library on Monday presented a picture of contrasts dipped in irony.On the one hand was the decorous Kolkata Group Workshop on Eliminating Injustice organised by the Pratichi Trust (India), Harvard’s Global Equity Initiative and Unicef India, and on the other a raucous demonstration by Citu, protesting their idea of injustice.

Full report here Telegraph