CM Stalin virtually inaugurates District Central Library in Ranipet

Chief Minister M.K. Stalin virtually inaugurated a permanent building for the District Central Library in Ranipet town on Thursday, bringing an end to a long-standing demand of readers in the district.

Officials from the School Education Department, which has funded the ₹3.72 crore project, said that the central library was started in the 1950s. The library was functioning in the District Central Library complex in Vellore town for many years before it was moved to a two-storey cramped building of the municipality in Ranipet town in 2019, when the district was created after the bifurcation of the erstwhile unified Vellore district. 

Minister for Handlooms and Textiles and Ranipet MLA R. Gandhi inspected the new building complex in the town. “Permanent building for the central library will also have e-books and virtual library facilities. Around one lakh books will be accommodated in the new building as against the existing around 50,000 books,” R. Ganesan, librarian, Ranipet Central Library, told The Hindu. 

The existing library is located on a 2,500 sq. ft. land near Ranipet Town police station. English and Tamil books on various subjects adorn its racks. Novels in both languages are also a key attraction. The subjects covered include history, politics, law, economics, philosophy, agriculture, computer and mathematics. “Books on competitive examinations are a big attraction in the library. The new building should also have basic amenities for visitors,” said B. Pavan, a reader. 

Reference books, especially for examinations conducted by the Tamil Nadu Public Service Commission (TNPSC), UPSC, and other competitive exams, are available here. The first floor of the library building comprises the newspaper and magazines sections that have good patronage, especially among students and aspirants. 

At present, the district has 71 libraries, including 55 branch and village libraries with around 1.5 lakh members. Four full-time libraries also function in Walajah, Arcot, Ranipet and Arakkonam between 8 a.m and 8 p.m. Other libraries function from 9 a.m. – 12.30 p.m., 3 p.m. – 6.30 p.m. on all days, including Sundays. A rent-free building and a population of around 1,000 persons are eligible to set up a government library in the area.

Officials said that the new building has been built on 35 cents of land that belongs to the Ranipet municipality. The two-storey building has a lobby, store rooms, newspaper and magazine sections, ladies and children sections, research section and book repair section. Each floor has a washroom and drinking water facilities. The new facility will also receive a copy of all new publications, adding to its existing stock of books in the library. 

Meanwhile, the dilapidated Tirupattur District Central Library will also get a permanent building soon as work on the new facility is progressing at a faster pace. Currently, the library functions in the Government Girls Higher Secondary School in Tirupattur town.