Trend of Library Service in Assam
✍ Archana Gita Saikia
"Libraries store the energy that fuels the imagination. They open up windows to the world and inspire us to explore and achieve, and contribute to improving our quality of life."- Sidney Sheldon
Libraries have long been the storehouse of knowledge and culture, and it is essential for them to develop in order to fulfil the ever-changing demands of the society. With its rich literary heritage and diverse cultural landscape, the state of Assam has benefited greatly from the knowledge-sharing and educational efforts of
libraries. Similar to how urban communities serve as the hubs of political and administrative activity, rural communities serve as the basic unit of socio-economic and cultural life in Assamese society. Therefore, organised information generation,
communication, and distribution for the local population are essential to the overall
socio-economic development of Assam. All of these are only feasible with the aid of adequate library services.
Libraries of Assam in the ancient period:
Libraries have a longstanding history in Assam, with notable organizations in both local communities and educational institutions. These traditional libraries have played a crucial role in safeguarding and promoting local literature, old manuscripts and other historical records. But, especially libraries in this period were the nucleus of an effective repository of our cultural heritage for preservation and storage and not for
dissemination of information.
Libraries of Assam in the medieval period:
During the period of 1449-1568 AD, Assam witnessed the Vaishnava renaissance which was initiated by Srimanta Shankardeva and was followed by an enlightened king Naranarayana. They were responsible for the production of new
books and translation into Assamese of various religious books. The NeoVaishnavism was actually instrumental in the establishment of mutts and libraries which were known as- Sattra and Namghara and these two places were the
repositories of old Manuscripts. Moreover, several Ahom kings have been bibliophiles, viz. lovers of books and libraries and they used to keep the Buranjis written in Ahom (Tai) and Assamese language in the Royal Archives called Gandhiya Bhasal. The first public library of Assam was established in 1854 at Guwahati Seminar.
Libraries of Assam in the modern period:
In the modern period, the library environment in Assam was dramatically changed. In 1903, the Assam Government public library was started in Shillong by the British government whose services was limited to the officials of the state government in particular and the inhabitant of the capital in general. Later on, this library was amalgamated with the State Central Library, Assam. A sound number of Public and Personal libraries were also developed in this period. For example, Personal libraries of Laboram Dutta (Dibrugarh), Akshay Ghose (Sibsagar), Bhagavati Prasad Baruah (Sibsagar), etc. are well known at that time which were able to cater to the needs of the localities to a greater extent. However, in 1984, the Directorate of Library Service, Assam was formed by the Govt. of Assam as the head of the Department to improve, supervision, and control with better administration which resulted the vesting of responsibility of the State Central Library, to its shoulder. Establishment of Raja Rammohan Roy Library foundation (1972) also brought an internal revolution in the library environment of Assam. However, at present a total of 1173 community libraries exist in Assam and they have been serving the society to the fullest.
The changing trends of library services in Assam:
Though in ancient Assam, there was a process of preservation of books under the royal patronage but these were only for the scholarly persons and not for the commons. After that, those libraries opened for the public also followed the traditional methods of services. But the use of technology has totally revolutionised library services in Assam. Information is now accessible to a larger audience and crosses geographic borders, only because of digitalization of books and resources. Research and learning are made easier by e-books and internet databases, which have improved reading experiences. By using less paper, this trend has not only increased the reach of knowledge dissemination but also improved the sustainability of libraries.
The growth of outreach programmes and mobile libraries has been a notable trend in recent years. Reaching remote and underserved communities in Assam has been a challenge, but these initiatives have handled it. Mobile libraries deliver information to the doorsteps of students and communities in remote areas by providing books and digital resources. Outreach programmes have been crucial in fostering a reading culture among people of all ages and developing a quest for
information outside the parameters of formal education, in addition to mobile libraries.
Collaboration between libraries and educational institutions has become a hallmark of modern library services in Assam. In order to pool resources and provide access to a greater selection of resources and research possibilities, universities, colleges and institutions have teamed up with libraries. These partnerships have also
strengthened the sense of community among educational institutions encouraging the sharing of knowledge and improving the state's overall educational environment.
The present trend in library services places a strong emphasis on equality and accessibility. Libraries of Assam have taken proactive measures to make sure that users from all backgrounds can take advantage of their offerings. Accessible
technologies and specialised resources have been integrated in an effort to accomodate individuals with disabilities. Libraries have also launched programmes to support underserved groups, encouraging diversity and inclusivity in the pursuit of knowledge.
Today, all the housekeeping operations starting from Acquisition to maintenance of the library holdings are done digitally. That means library automation has been playing a crucial role in the library environment of Assam since the day of
its implementation. In short, libraries have evolved into virtual spaces, allowing users to explore and borrow materials online. This shift has made information more accessible, especially to those in remote areas with limited physical access to libraries.
Challenges to the changing trends:
There are a lot of factors that fuels in the adoption of ICT in every aspect of libraries. But there are also a number of challenges that the libraries have been facing to cop up with the changing trends at national or global level. These challenges can be
discussed as follows-
Lack of Library legislation: There is a need for library legislation to ensure effective financial support to all public libraries so that they can serve the people free of charge. It is responsible for the performance, uniform development and efficiency with at least the minimum standard to the satisfaction of readers. Finance is a major thing for improvement of all non profit making organisations and as such for a library also. The Assam government also neglects the role of
libraries in the rural communities most of the time.
Poorly developed infrastructure: Most of the rural library in Assam do not have their own library building and they are housed as part of the building owned by the village club/ Sangha etc. The libraries having own building are not also modular and lack proper lighting facilities and are congested.
Irrelevant book stock: The book selection procedure of the rural libraries is highly centralized and bureaucratic procedure in which the RRRLF or the Directorate of Library Service take the active part and local needs of the community have no bearing on the acquisition of books for the library.
Lack of Library Extension services: In Rural Assam the major portion of the population are still illiterate, among the literate also there is only a small portion that have desire to study or time to study after their day long livelihood job in the
agricultural field. In such an environment, if rural libraries limit its scope in providing services to its user only then it must lose its support from the
community. So it is the demands of the time to extend the rural library services beyond its scope to reach the illiterate people by undertaking various initiatives.
Lack of subsequent management: The number of rural libraries that make its origin in Assam is really commendable. But the astonishing fact is that every year a great number of rural libraries were also lost in the dark ages due to lack of
finance, proper leadership and other factors. Along with the government, the Sadau Asom Gramya Puthibharal Santha and others show keen interest in establishing rural libraries in different places of Assam and their subsequent registration to show the number but sufficiently inactive in reactivating the rural libraries that are already established.
Each and every facet of human life will alter as human civilization develops. It is up to us to decide whether we want to follow the crowd or offer a fresh take on all that is going on. The trends of library services are ever changing and so our needs and demands. In order to fulfil those demands, ICT, AI is here today, and something new
will come tomorrow. That is why we need to focus on how libraries can fulfil its user's information needs at the right time with the right information even after adopting new systems and overlap the existing one.
References:
Barman, B. (2022). A comprehensive book on library and information science. LIS Links.
Gupta, R. (2022). Library science. Ramesh Publishing House.
[Published: The Assam Rising]
