Mysuru: Everyone should develop the practice of gifting books during marriages, birthdays and other festivals and thus encourage the habit of reading among people, said littérateur Dr. Jayappa Honnali. He was speaking after inaugurating the ‘National Library Week’ and Book Exhibition organised by the Department of Public Libraries and City Central Library at the Vivekanandanagar Library branch and said that libraries are like modern temples.

“There is no better friend than books. Parents should see that they draw the children away from mobiles and instead introduce them to books as the mobiles are harmful to the children, while reading books improve their minds and health. Hence, everyone should begin to present books as gifts, he said.

“It was because people like Dr. B.R. Ambedkar and others who used the libraries extensively that they grew into men of stature. The students should understand this by reading books and expand their horizons and grow into better citizens,” he said.

City Central Library Deputy Director B. Manjunath said that the library cess paid by the organisations will help run public libraries and hence if the cess does not come then it becomes difficult to run libraries. This results in lot of criticism about the way libraries are run, he added.

Many who had studied in Vivekanandanagar Library branch, written competitive exams and went on to get jobs in the Police, Food, Forest, Court and Backward Classes Departments were honoured on the occasion.

The Department had organised quiz competition and prizes were distributed to the winners.

Corporator Sunanda Palanethra, in her presidential address, said that computers, internet and other equipment should be provided on the first floor of the libraries along with books on competitive exams like IAS, IPS, KPS for the benefit of the students who are interested in writing the exams within four months.

Mysuru City Corporation (MCC) Zone-2 Assistant Commissioner V. Priyadarshini, Library branch in-charge Librarian S. Soumya, Branch Committee Members D.B. Parameshwarappa, Mamatha, V.B. Mynavathi, Hebbal branch in-charge Librarian Kusuma, City Central Library’s M. Parvathi and others were present.

Rs.17 crore library cess from MCC due: The MCC owes a due of Rs.17 crore library cess to the Department of Libraries and if that money is given, it will help in the development of libraries, said Department of Public Libraries Deputy Director B. Manjunath.

Reacting to this, Corporation Asst. Commissioner K.H. Manjunath assured that in another three days, Rs.50 lakh would be released. They will give importance to open libraries in different parts of the city where places are available, he added.

The massive Central Library building coming up in the People’s Park is going to be completed in another two to three months. It is going to be the biggest library in the whole of Karnataka and there will be 15-20 Departments here for students, elders and women. It is going to be a centre for literary activities and littérateurs and poets can release their works in this building.

—B. Manjunath. Deputy Director, City  Central Library