Kotturpuram | Chennai Library | U/C

[Fusionist]

Please post the updates here.

[ChicagoThalapathi]

General info on this library

Ground floor -

A Braille and talking book section - two conference halls with a capacity of 200 persons and 30 persons each - a cyber cafe

First floor -

An exclusive children's section and a comfort reading hall

Second floor -

Tamil books

Third floor -

English books

Fourth floor -

Books on Dravidian languages except Tamil and other Indian languages

Fifth floor -

Back issues of newspapers and periodicals

Sixth floor -

Government documents

Seventh floor -

Collections from donors and an audio-visual section

Eighth floor -

Rare books, preservation unit, photo and digital libraries. Separate blocks for binding section and store, food court and scholars hostel have also been planned

Source : TOI

[satishanu]

Translation snippet: Cost 172 crores, 12 lakh books, 9 floors, green building, open auditorium, food court, to be opened in June 2010.

[ChennaiIndian]

The expected date of opening this was publicized as June 2010. Does this still hold good? I can see there are still lots to do in this building.

[satishanu]

CI, that's Dec 2009 video. As you can see in the 1st pic Cladding have been already started.

[glamguy]

Its a nice project.. Such a huge building for a library

[think_different]

[RajfromPrague]

That's very nice...

[satishanu]

Guys any news abt the new library. It was supposed to be opened for KK's b'day.

[gvijayan]

[bharathkasthuri]

Work is getting done fast just like assembly before inauguration. Gr8 if they can keep this interest in other pending projects

[satishanu]

^Thanks for the status update. Looks almost complete.

[Arasu]

Now that they missed the date of June 3rd, is it going to be delayed until his next birthday?

[bharathkasthuri]

inauguration will be much before the state election so that this goes into achievement records.

[satchitananda]

SOURCE: http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/2010/07/13/stories/2010071352990700.htm

The Mumbai-based Spanco has bagged an engagement for creation and deployment of technology infrastructure and IT management systems at the Anna Centenary Library, a Tamil Nadu Government project modelled on the National Library of Singapore.

As part of the Rs 25-crore deal, the company will provide solutions for integration and networking of the library in addition to deploying RFID-based book management and surveillance systems, Mr Kapil Puri, Chairman and Managing Director of the BSE-listed company, said.

Library management

Spanco will install the entire library management suite over the next six months and subsequently manage it for the following three years, he told Business Line.

The Anna Centenary Library is being built at a cost of about Rs 165 crore in order to house 1.2 million books, e-journals and e-books in an complex at Chennai. In addition to a reading capacity for 1,250 people at a time, the complex would also house a separate auditorium with a capacity of 1,280 people and an amphitheatre on the terrace. The library is expected to be functional before the end of current calendar year.

Spanco has a dedicated Government transformation services division which addresses opportunities within the e-governance space which is believed to be a Rs 23,000-crore market. The company is said to be implementing projects worth more than Rs 1,000 crore

[satchitananda]

SOURCE: http://www.hindu.com/2010/07/14/stories/2010071462130300.htm

Nearly 5 lakh titles have been finalised for the Anna Centenary Library coming up at Kotturpuram.

About one lakh titles in Tamil, including 35,000 rare publications, as many as 1,88, 643 titles in English, and nearly 1.5 lakh books such as novels and self-help books will occupy the shelves of the library.

“The English books will cover the ‘A to Z' of topics, right from agriculture to zoology,” said a senior official involved in the project.

“For books on engineering, we took the help of seven top-notch institutions. The Indian Institutes of Management - Madras and Kanpur, Anna University in Chennai, VIT University in Vellore, National Institute of Technology in Tiruchi, PSG College of Technology in Coimbatore and the Indian Institute of Science in Bangalore,” he said. Similarly, medical colleges with extensive library facilities were being contacted, he added.

While the initial budget allocated for the procurement of books was Rs. 40 crore, the expenses on books purchased have nearly doubled now.

On the number of books collected by the University of Madras through students, sources said that about 3.5 titles had been collected.

“However, we might not be able to accommodate all of them. We have asked them to catalogue them after which we will decide. Some books will make it to the Kotturpuram library while the others would be sent to other city libraries.”

The Directorate of Public Libraries is holding talks with the Helen Keller Institute to work out an arrangement to have books translated into Braille or into audio format.

On the status of the building, sources said that 28 companies were involved in the interiors of the building alone, and work was going on swiftly. “There is no question of declaring the building open and still permitting construction work. So we want to complete the entire project before it is open for the public,” the official said, adding that the building was likely to be declared open only after a month or two.

[bonoslack7]

http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/...icle566956.ece
PWD racing against time to complete work on library and Assembly complex

Anna Centenary Library and the Botanical Garden will be inaugurated to coincide with the Anna birth anniversary on September 15. The day will also mark the formal moving in of Assembly staff into the new Assembly complex on Mount Road.

The Public Works Department (PWD) and its contractors are racing against time to make sure that the library building is completed on time. It had set a June deadline for completing works on the Rs.172 crore, nine-storeyed building. This could not be adhered to and the Libraries Directorate, which is taking keen interest in the building, set the September deadline.

The building overshot some of its interim deadlines because initially, workers from the library site were moved to the Secretariat for completing works there ahead of the budget session (both buildings were awarded to the same contractor). The World Classical Tamil Conference also led to delays in execution of the project as PWD officials were involved in the works at Coimbatore.

Unlike the Secretariat, where work has been going on long after its formal inauguration by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, the library building has to be ready in all aspects before inauguration.

“The library is a public building. We have to make sure that facilities are in place on September 15. We cannot say that we will continue the works after the inauguration,” a senior official pointed out.

On Wednesday, School Education Minister Thangam Thennarasu was again at the site reviewing the progress of works and asking PWD officials to show greater sense of urgency on the project.

Botanical Garden

At the Botanical Garden, all wild growth has been cut out. Korean grass is the recurring theme throughout the park, and the Agriculture Department has thrown in plant species alien to Chennai. A guesthouse (resting area) planned has been scrapped and the extent of the food court on the premises cut down to nearly a tenth of the planned size.

A subway planned to link the two patches of greenery on either side of Cathedral road has been abandoned in favour of an elevated link.

At the new Assembly complex, because of the Chief Minister's direct and everyday review and involvement, both the Assembly and the Legislative Council portions have been fully completed. Works remain to be completed on other floors, but officials are confident that these will be done well ahead of the deadline.

[neohistoryman]

Originally Posted by bonoslack7

Botanical Garden
A guesthouse (resting area) planned has been scrapped and the extent of the food court on the premises cut down to nearly a tenth of the planned size.

Cannot believe someone thought of a guesthouse there in the first place Glad better sense prevailed.

[nsantha2]

Originally Posted by bonoslack7

A subway planned to link the two patches of greenery on either side of Cathedral road has been abandoned in favour of an elevated link.

Which is the other green patch? Is that in the Church premises behind the US Embassy?

[vijayvmail]

Originally Posted by nsantha2

Which is the other green patch? Is that in the Church premises behind the US Embassy?

There is an area belonging to the Agricultural society on the other side of the road. It is a pretty big area filled with trees and plants. Currently a plant nursery is functioning from that place. Am not sure if the nursery will be removed to make way for the garden.