Readers club of Sainik School paid a visit to prominent libraries of Mysore on 04 Dec 2017 as part of the club activities. The visit provided ample opportunities for all the cadets to learn and appreciate the mode of work, resources, and different projects of libraries.
The cadets appreciated "Drushti"- a novel initiative by university library Mysore to facilitate reading among the visually challenged researchers and general public and the classification of resources that are accessible to the readers to help them prepare for competitive exams, research work .A separate section is set up under the same roof to promote reading among the underprivileged community. 4,50,000 books are arranged section wise as reference section, stack section, language section, dissertation and thesis section, periodical section etc. The library has a well equipped digital library with 300 computers with internet facility for the readers to provide the first hand information in their research work and projects. The library functions smoothly with the help of Library Automation software under the supervision of library trainees and librarians.
The visit to Oriental Research Institution Library, Mysore was an awesome experience. Thousands of Palm leaves and paper manuscripts were collected and the scholars were appointed who are well versed in south Indian languages for cataloguing those manuscripts in the library. Many rare books were also found and among them all “Arthsastra of Kautilya”, the book on Indian polity and military science gained our attention. The library consists 30,000 manuscript bundles written in Sanskrit, in which many of them are collected from different parts of Karnataka. We were also told that they have published more than 205 rare works in Sanskrit and 10 works are getting ready for print. Vidushi. Dr. Devaki was impressed by the turnout of the cadets and addressed the cadets sharing them with the nuggets of wisdom from the scriptures and reminding them of the responsibility of the future leaders. The cadets were full of praise seeing the palm leaves and the efforts of the unknown scribes who painstakingly recorded the ancient literature in the bark of the wood and the leaves of Bhoj. Now the digitalization is progressing to preserve the manuscripts.
The collection of periodicals and bound volumes in the RIE Library was the feast to the cadets educating them the need of preservation and mending of the books.70,000 books,73 journals both Indian and International are showcased in the library. The sayings of writers and philosophers are hung in the walls of the library to motivate the studious visitors. So far 5000 bound volumes are preserved for the research scholars.
They were also given opportunity to do shopping at Sapna Book Stall, Mysore building in them a close affinity towards the magic of books.
Report By: Readers' Club In Charge
