Kotturpuram | Chennai Library | U/C

[bonoslack7]

Nice website

http://annacentenarylibrary.blogspot.com/

[TShyam]

Originally Posted by Mr.Nellai

Uploaded with ImageShack.us

Translation

1300 visitors daily.

9 floors in total. The ground and the first floor became operational last september

Ground floor: Books for visually challenged, space for visitors with their own books and news and magazines section.

1st floor: Children section and books for civil services preparations.

2nd floor: Tamil books.

3rd floor: Arts and science section.

4th floor: Engineering, technical and management section.

5th floor: Medicine section.

6th floor: Basic sciences.

7th floor: Rare books, antiques and palm leaf scripts.

8th floor: Control room.

Employees: 96 permanent and 40 contract employees.They are proud of the library. They are saying the response from children and youth is overwhelming. Lot of law and economics graduates visit to take notes.

Summer camps: Lot of summer camps for children going on. It ranges from story telling, drawing, painting, yoga, dance among others. These summer camps will be conducted till May 8th. Lot of children are enthusiastically participating.

Membership: The rules will be formed soon. The fees will be announced in June. The library recently released forms for children membership and 1500 forms have been sold till now.

[Raji7373]

A standalone restaurent or a small food court might have also been included...wen summer camps and exhibition are being conducted it would been good to have a food court..too.

They have to properly maintain it..childrens play area in previous post looks good..

[Cosmicbliss]

The above in Tamil is (I think)

Kuvikiradhu Mannavar Kootam (I don't know the first but I think second means students gathering place or something along those lines).

Muzhu Seyilpataduku vanda Anna Nootrandu Noolkam/noolgam

The last three obviously means Anna centenary library. The writer's name is A. Raghuraman. The first three words I don't understand.

[vinodgopal]

it would be a smart idea to have an online access to all these books for the rest of the world. Just my 2 cents.

[seku]

Originally Posted by Cosmicbliss

The above in Tamil is (I think)

Kuvikiradhu Mannavar Kootam (I don't know the first but I think second means students gathering place or something along those lines).

Muzhu Seyilpataduku vanda Anna Nootrandu Noolkam/noolgam

The last three obviously means Anna centenary library. The writer's name is A. Raghuraman. The first three words I don't understand.

Good man..

"Kuvikiradhu" exact meaning is "piling up". In this context, "Increasing".

"Muzhu Seyilpataduku vanda" exactly means "Complete", "Operational", "became". context meaning is, "Fully operational now".

[Cosmicbliss]

This is based on my studying the Tamil letters given in "Learn Tamil in 30 days". I studied the script given there. Its odd that "h" sound is present as a letter but often not written so "hindustan" gets rendered as "industan".

[darkprinz]

Originally Posted by vinodgopal

it would be a smart idea to have an online access to all these books for the rest of the world. Just my 2 cents.

Ya recently even British council library made online access of books available , I hope they make this big Best of luck to them ..

[bonoslack7]

Originally Posted by Raji7373

A standalone restaurent or a small food court might have also been included...wen summer camps and exhibition are being conducted it would been good to have a food court..too.

They have to properly maintain it..childrens play area in previous post looks good..

There is a small food court inside the library.

[slakhs]

Originally Posted by vinodgopal

it would be a smart idea to have an online access to all these books for the rest of the world. Just my 2 cents.

I think most books would be covered by copyright and will (should) not be provided with online access.

There are other sources / projects for making non copyright material available in electronic format.

[roadracer]

Can anyone go and visit the library or is a membership required?

[madrasi7777]

Very soon this library "might" be shifted to Omandur Estate.

[Indian Sun]

@roadracer: Anyone can go.

[satishanu]

In recent years, one might have heard of a yellow revolution, an orange revolution, an Egypt revolution or even the Anna Hazare movement against corruption, where people hit the streets to strive and bring in the true spirit of democracy in the government’s functioning.


But there is a silent revolution happening in our own backyard — inculcating the true spirit of democracy by taking education to youngsters across all sections of society.

The recently inaugurated Anna Centenary Library (ACL), a storehouse of knowledge of countries and cultures across the globe, has become a centre for knowledge revolution in the city, attracting huge crowds from a 4-year-old to even senior citizens.

“I have visited various libraries in the country, including libraries of central universities and research institutes, but I have never seen such a variety of collection for every single subject like the Anna Centenary Library,” said Kirpa Karan, 39, a manager at a software company, who was seen spending time with his four-year-old kid at the children’s section.

The section had a wide range of collection from English grammar and comics to periodic novels and even computer facilities for children to play games.

“There are many extra-curricular activities like kerchief-making, yoga and storytelling organised at the library. If we were to do this on our own for our kids, it would cost us a bomb. Also, the computer facilities help our children learn basic skills,’’ Devi, 34, of Mandaveli, said.

The big draws in the kids’ section was the artificial tree at the centre of the hall and a painting of cartoon characters across the room, which attract about 500 children every day to the library.

“I force my parents to bring me here to read Cinderella and play games to improve my memory power,” said Suganiya, (8), a Class 3 student.

“So far we have received 1,558 forms for membership for kid section,” said an official in-charge of the kids’ section.

Equally interesting was the Braille section in the library. There were more than 1,500 Braille books and audio books on various subjects, including school and college text books, children’s stories, biography and self-improvement books. The section also had six computers to facilitate the visually impaired to learn from audio books.

“The section also has a reader called Braille Mitra, through which books of our choice can be downloaded and read on our own without anybody’s assistance,” said Nazeer Ahmed, a music teacher living in Mogappair.

“The library has embosser facility which helps us to take print-outs of government orders or books,” he added.

The nine-storeyed building stocked a massive 1.20 million books in all major languages of the world, besides providing access to two lakh ‘e-books’ and 20,000 e-journals.

Seven of the nine storeys of the library were filled with books in the following pattern: the first floor was for children, second floor for Tamil language, third floor for humanities and social sciences, fourth floor for engineering and management, fifth floor for medicine, sixth floor for general science and seventh floor for manuscripts and rare books.

“In this library, I can refer to rare books on medical science, which are not found even in medical colleges,” said Dr Vimal, a surgical oncologist working at the Apollo Speciality Hospital. Dr Vimal was preparing for his higher medical studies and was found browsing through books at the medicine section in the library.

Ramesh Sankar, a visiting professor of Anna University, said he was not only impressed by the wide range of books, but also the way they were indexed. “Mention any name of the book to the librarian, and it will be on your table in next 10 minutes,” he added.

Another special feature of the library was the own book reading section. People could bring their own books and read in this section.

“We come in the early morning and read till the library is closed. The building is fully air conditioned and there are no disturbances,” said the group of students, who were preparing for CA exams.

Speaking to City Express, G Arivoli, Director of Public Libraries, Tamil Nadu, said, “The library is designed as an activity centre. Many programmes for the children are organised to improve their extra-curricular activities and to inculcate a reading habit among them.”

P A Naresh, Joint Director of Public Libraries and Chief Librarian and Information Officer of Anna Centenary Library, said, “To give exposure to the students on the various aspects of education, we have already sent notifications to all the schools and colleges in the state to bring their students to the library.”

Moreover, free coaching for IAS/IPS exams and other state service examination would be organised at the library and educational experts would be called from across the country to deliver lectures to the students on emerging trends in education, said Naresh, adding that in the auditorium of the library, they were planning to screen children’s film.

The membership fee for the library would soon be announced, he added

src: http://expressbuzz.com/cities/chenna...ub/268620.html

[Leo_r]

“I have visited various libraries in the country, including libraries of central universities and research institutes, but I have never seen such a variety of collection for every single subject like the Anna Centenary Library,” said Kirpa Karan, 39, a manager at a software company, who was seen spending time with his four-year-old kid at the children’s section.

Catch them young...Govt. has created a wonderful Centre and making the right move to pull in all students, as I suggested earlier. Membership enrolement should be quickly put in place, so that People respect the facilities offered.

Good Show!

[bonoslack7]

I hope they keep photocopying costs at 50 ps. or so, make sure everyones informed about this so that no one tears off pages from books. Why I am saying this is because most of the books I read at the british council and gymkhana libraries had lots of missing pages.

[wlbkng]

Architect of change


THE HINDU The Anna Centenary Library in Chennai Photo: M.Vedhan

To C. N. Raghavendran, architecture is about preserving that critical link between the built and the natural environment. T. Krithika Reddy talks to the Padma Shri awardee

Unlike his towering structures that stand out against Chennai's jagged skyline, a diminutive C. N. Raghavendran is almost lost behind the stacks of drawing sheets on his table. The architect, who has navigated the complexities of massive urban projects for over four decades, speaks in short bursts and punctuates the conversation with a genial smile, at his office in Mylapore.

“I'm happy to receive the Padma Shri. Architects are usually not on the radar for such awards,” he says. But the choice is not surprising, given Raghavendran's rich body of work that ranges from educational institutions and IT parks to sports stadiums and auditoriums through which he has pushed his agenda of introducing innovative building technology and climate responsive designs.

“How architecture can make cities more sustainable is a critical question we have to address today. The chunk of our population is moving towards the urban areas, so we have to see how new settlements can be woven into the existing fabric. Building materials have environmental implications; therefore, judicious choices have to be made. With design having a direct impact on energy use, architects need to orient their buildings so that they make optimum use of natural resources such as daylight. Sustainable urbanisation is the need of the hour,” says Raghavendran, whose firm CRN figures on the list of top 100 architectural practices in the world.

Essence of design

A student of IIT-Kharagpur, Raghavendran went to Berkeley for his Masters. Later, he worked in Boston, before returning to India. “My dad C. R. Narayana Rao had already established a good clientele, so it wasn't difficult for me to get a break. During my Berkeley days, I was encouraged to think differently; so I specialised in urban design and the demographics of housing. To me, architecture is about integration.”

This accent on the topographical integration of architecture is evident in Raghavendran's inventive work for the Kalakshetra auditorium. Built in the early 1980s, this 450-seater auditorium had no electro-mechanical interventions, except for the audio-visual system and stage lighting. The climate responsive design is a fine example of a sustainable, energy-saving building.

Another major milestone was Raghavendran's pre-cast, pre-stressed concrete solution for the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Chennai. “The first of its kind in India to comply with the then newly brought-out FIFA regulations, the stadium which has a capacity to seat 40,000, had a tight timeline. Our innovation in building technology not only enabled us to complete the project in 270 days; it also helped reduce building weight, construction waste and save structural materials.”

Environment-conscious approach

As someone who believes good architecture can satisfy the aesthetic and functional needs of a building, without compromising the needs of the future generation, Raghavendran has been following an environment-conscious approach to design when it comes to high-performance buildings such as IT parks. “For the first time in the country, a thermal energy storage system for air-conditioning was used in the multi-storeyed Tidel Park. And we also incorporated an integrated building management system to take care of safety and security.” The success of such key innovative features led to more projects in the IT sector — Tata Consultancy Services (Sholinganallur and Siruseri), Cognizant Technology Solutions (Thoraipakkam and Siruseri), Infosys Technologies (Sholinganallur and Mahindra World City), Ascendas Phase 2 at Taramani, Wipro (Sholinganallur and Mahindra World City), etc.

A multi-disciplinary global design firm, CRN (of which he is a partner), has accomplished several projects in the UAE, Bangladesh, Malaysia, Sri Lanka and Guyana. “Though there is an influx of foreign architects into India, it's not easy for us to get assignments abroad. There are hurdles when it comes to getting registration and recognition. Besides, the codes of design and construction, as accepted and practised in India (formulated by the Bureau of Indian Standards), are not accepted elsewhere. Familiarity with the international codes is vital when you think global,” says the man who's made a mark in Mauritius. His Ebene Cyber Tower won him the Intelligent Building of the Year – 2005 award from 200 international entries evaluated by the Intelligent Communities Forum, an independent think tank based in New York. “It's become a landmark in Mauritius. It figures on the stamp as well.”

Challenges ahead

Actively involved with Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (green buildings rating system) and Bureau of Energy Efficiency, which has initiated the Energy Conservation in Building Code, Raghavendran says, “The coming decades will challenge the way we study and practise architecture. Architects can help strike a balance between built and sustainable environment. It's a red alert that must not just be confined to the consciousness of a few. We must build nationwide awareness about eco-sensitive designs in buildings — commencing from site sustainable conditions to other factors such as water and energy efficiency, zero discharge by way of pollutants and improvement of indoor air quality. Urban planning calls for out-of-the-box thinking. It involves great vision and commitment on the part of the political and administrative powers, backed by advocacy, a participatory approach and inclusive development.”

The latest landmark

The 4. 5 lakh sq. ft. Anna Centenary Library in Kotturpuram was designed to house 1. 2 million books and journals. It has a special section for Braille, children's books and manuscripts etc. Because of the design, the reading area receives good daylight. The service areas flank the Western end to prevent solar radiation. The seven storey atrium brings in abundant natural light and the entire space is designed in a way that it's stimulating.

FUTURE STOCK

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http://www.thehindu.com/life-and-sty...?homepage=true

[vinodgopal]

is it as big as the national library in Calcutta which is spread across in 30 acres of land?

[wlbkng]

Anna Centenary library is South Asia's largest library Source. Its not 30 acres here but it is but I presume that all 30 acres of the library you are talking about is not fully built up. Its on a 30 acre site. That's it.

But libraries should not be just compared by size. The built-up area, no.of volumes of books, rare books, online publications, disabled friendliness, books catering to various age groups etc. should also be taken into consideration. At the end of the day, each library has its own peculiarity.

[anekho]

Guys how is the collection of English novels at the Library?