Make public libraries accessible to children

It is time to reassess whether these public spaces are accessible to young readers, who visit libraries not just for reading books but also for lifelong learning and skill development.

Children’s libraries are spaces where books are curated for young readers. These libraries aim at creating comfortable, inviting, and safe spaces for children to encourage them to build and nurture the habit of reading through various activities. In India, where the public school system often sees poor attendance from students, public libraries catering to children’s developmental needs can play an important role in the increase of literacy rates and social development.

Public libraries in Karnataka are set up and maintained under the Karnataka Public Libraries Act, 1965. However, this Act makes no mention of children, indicating that they are not considered to be primary stakeholders. On the contrary, states such as Goa and Kerala discuss children’s libraries in their respective legislation.

Many of the children’s libraries in Karnataka, particularly in Bengaluru, are privately managed and cannot be accessed without a fee. The Department of Public Libraries has incurred huge expenses for the renovation of the Indira Priyadarshini Children’s Library, which came under the scrutiny of the Karnataka State Commission for Protection of Child Rights for its lack of even basic amenities like toilets.

As of September 2022, young readers had to use public toilets outside the library.

While public libraries try to cater to all sections of society, certain private libraries focus on specific groups and communities, ensuring access to their needs and demands. For instance, ‘ThinkBox’ is a private library in Bengaluru that specifically caters to the needs of children. Hasiru Dala, a private social impact organisation working with waste collectors in Karnataka, started the Buguri Community Library in Bengaluru, Mysore, and Tumakuru to create and nurture spaces for the children of waste collectors. During the Covid-19 lockdown, these libraries created WhatsApp groups to contact parents of young children and shared books.

Such targeted approaches ensure the better utility of funds specifically meant for its user base. Public libraries can take inspiration from such models to attract specific groups of children with differentiated needs, such as libraries for students preparing for competitive exams and libraries for children of migrant workers.

The revival of rural public libraries in Karnataka after Covid-19 was undertaken by the Rural Development and Panchayati Raj Department. Oduva Belaku, or “the light of reading,” was a programme initiated to help children stay connected to reading and build a culture of library use in communities. The Government of Karnataka also sought to revamp the children’s sections of 5,600 panchayat libraries, which included stocking picture books, textbooks, comics, encyclopedias, and dictionaries in Kannada and other languages.

These initiatives continue to aid in bridging the learning gap caused by the pandemic-induced school closures in rural areas. The Oduva Belaku programme thrives due to its collaborative nature, as it involves various NGOs that actively work with children. Such collaboration in an urban context with existing private children’s libraries can help the Department of Public Libraries understand the specific requirements of children in public libraries.

As per the Annual Status of Education Report, 2022, that was released recently, only 30.8% of the schools in Karnataka house books in a library. This is below the national average of 34.3%. Where they are present, most of these libraries are dysfunctional, with dusty, termite-ridden shelves and books that are not appealing or appropriate for children.

Tamil Nadu and Delhi have already taken initiatives to link public libraries with schools. Public libraries in Karnataka can also step in by acting as centres for education and providing access to books, and by tying up with public schools, they can support students in formal and informal education.

The Department of Public Libraries must survey and audit the existing public libraries to ensure that each of them is equipped with basic amenities. Each public library in urban and rural areas of Karnataka should have a section dedicated to children’s books, with free enrollment and activities conducted to encourage reading among children. Where possible, the department should strive to establish libraries exclusively for children. These libraries must be rethought as inclusive spaces for community engagement, reinvented to provide specifically for children, and re-envisioned as spaces that children will want to visit one day.

(The writer is a Research Fellow at the Vidhi Centre for Legal Policy.)