The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh / Visakhapatnam News : Library movement activists to seek funds under CSR

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Jun 27, 2011
ePaper | Mobile/PDA Version

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh - Visakhapatnam

Library movement activists to seek funds under CSR

Special Correspondent

They float Society for the Promotion of Public Libraries

Society to hold a conference with officials of VSP and other corporates
It has also decided to strive to promote reading habit at all levels

Velaga Venkatappaiah, a key figure in library movement, at a seminar on private libraries in Visakhapatnam on Sunday.

VISAKHAPATNAM: Several librarians have formed a new outfit named Society for the Promotion of Public Libraries (SPPL) to explore funding from the corporates to the public libraries under the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR).

Society's honorary president and former member of Raja Rammohun Roy Library Velaga Venkatappaiah told reporters here on Sunday that the public libraries were in a bad shape for want of patronage from the government as well as the public. The library cess being collected by the local bodies at the rate of eight per cent of property tax was not being spent for improvement of the libraries.

The Greater Visakha Municipal Corporation owed Rs.18 crore. The society has decided to hold a conference with senior officials of Visakhapatnam Steel Plant and other corporates to explore sanction of part of funds earmarked for the CSR for the strengthening of public libraries.

Dr. Venkatappaiah said most of the libraries had no funds for maintenance and augmenting the infrastructure.

Library Day

The society would strive to promote reading habit at all levels, revamping the traditional public libraries as knowledge centres with network facilities, conduct National Library Day on November 14 and week from November 14 to 20, he said.

The society also aims to act as clearing house for ideas and information needs of public libraries and promotion of rural information kiosks.

Society president P.S.N. Murthy, vice-president R.V. Gopala Rao, secretary and treasurer D. Muralidhar, joint secretary V. Pydi Raju and District Central Librarian P. Krishna Rao, Visakha Public Library Librarian G. Kishna Reddy and Zilla Grandhalaya Samstha (Gopalapatnam) N.V. Narasimham were present.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Andhra Pradesh