<p>It’s poetic, the deep connection between a booklover and his favourite library. The enticing smell of musty old books and the sharp scent of fresh ink leaking out of brand new ones, cunningly collaborate to hold the addict hostage. <br /><br />Carefully tucked away in the back of a huge complex on Infantry road, Eloor Library is an old name in the game. <br /><br />Fiction, non-fiction, classics, sci-fi, fantasy, children’s books, self-help, sports, philosophy, health; Eloor’s collection is one of the primary reasons for its popularity and popular it most definitely is. <br /><br />Gopal Rao, the librarian informed Metrolife that the library has as many as 17,000 members with as many as 40 to 50 percent active members. <br /><br />In this day and age, when libraries are a dying breed, one wonders what makes Eloor this successful. <br /><br /></p>.<p>Theatre person Sharon White, one of the oldest members of the library, has not just an answer but an entire list of reasons. “You know how in some libraries you pick up a magazine because of the cover story and when you open it, you discover that those pages have been ripped out. That never happens at Eloor,” she says. <br /><br />“I found the need for a well-maintained library and at Eloor, they do a great job. They have a great selection of books. They replenish their stock often and are very open to suggestions. You ask them if they have a particular title and they don’t, they make an effort to get it for you,” Sharon adds.<br /><br />The collection of books at Eloor is truly extensive but it’s not just the collection that makes it one of the finest circulating libraries in the city. A sense of community, it offers, is just as important. “The people are so nice and pleasant. When my daughter Beverly was young she’d come here with me and sit cross-legged in one corner and read. She felt that comfortable here. Every time I come here, I meet a couple of friends,” a smiling White informs. <br /><br />The library offers open membership that are reasonable and efficient. They offer two different kinds of memberships; the permanent membership and the temporary membership. <br /><br />Started in 1988, the Bangalore branch is the second of the six branches that are part of the Eloor name. These libraries were conceived by the late Luiz John, a former custom’s officer who had great love for books. <br /><br />His son Gautam Luiz now heads the organisation. If you wish to become a member, head to G-9, Blue Cross Chambers, Infantry Road Cross.</p>
<p>It’s poetic, the deep connection between a booklover and his favourite library. The enticing smell of musty old books and the sharp scent of fresh ink leaking out of brand new ones, cunningly collaborate to hold the addict hostage. <br /><br />Carefully tucked away in the back of a huge complex on Infantry road, Eloor Library is an old name in the game. <br /><br />Fiction, non-fiction, classics, sci-fi, fantasy, children’s books, self-help, sports, philosophy, health; Eloor’s collection is one of the primary reasons for its popularity and popular it most definitely is. <br /><br />Gopal Rao, the librarian informed Metrolife that the library has as many as 17,000 members with as many as 40 to 50 percent active members. <br /><br />In this day and age, when libraries are a dying breed, one wonders what makes Eloor this successful. <br /><br /></p>.<p>Theatre person Sharon White, one of the oldest members of the library, has not just an answer but an entire list of reasons. “You know how in some libraries you pick up a magazine because of the cover story and when you open it, you discover that those pages have been ripped out. That never happens at Eloor,” she says. <br /><br />“I found the need for a well-maintained library and at Eloor, they do a great job. They have a great selection of books. They replenish their stock often and are very open to suggestions. You ask them if they have a particular title and they don’t, they make an effort to get it for you,” Sharon adds.<br /><br />The collection of books at Eloor is truly extensive but it’s not just the collection that makes it one of the finest circulating libraries in the city. A sense of community, it offers, is just as important. “The people are so nice and pleasant. When my daughter Beverly was young she’d come here with me and sit cross-legged in one corner and read. She felt that comfortable here. Every time I come here, I meet a couple of friends,” a smiling White informs. <br /><br />The library offers open membership that are reasonable and efficient. They offer two different kinds of memberships; the permanent membership and the temporary membership. <br /><br />Started in 1988, the Bangalore branch is the second of the six branches that are part of the Eloor name. These libraries were conceived by the late Luiz John, a former custom’s officer who had great love for books. <br /><br />His son Gautam Luiz now heads the organisation. If you wish to become a member, head to G-9, Blue Cross Chambers, Infantry Road Cross.</p>
