Prof. J. Somashekar at UoM  National Library Week

Mysore/Mysuru: The Department of Studies in Library and Information Science (LIS), University of Mysore (UoM), celebrated National Library Week – 2025 recently by organising a special lecture under the MULISSA Friday Talk Series.

The programme focused on inspiring students to cultivate strong reading habits and to make meaningful use of library resources.

Delivering the special lecture on “Ambedkar and Reading,” Prof. J. Somashekar, Senior Professor and former Director of Dr. B. R. Ambedkar Research and Extension Centre, recalled how libraries shaped his own academic journey and acknowledged the support he received from Mysore University Libraries during his Ph.D.

He highlighted Dr.  Ambedkar’s lifelong devotion to reading, noting that Ambedkar spent 14 to 15 hours a day with books, invested most of his Baroda scholarship in purchasing books and continued reading even under challenging circumstances.

 He narrated the incident of Ambedkar’s books being lost when the ship carrying his belongings sank during his return to India and referred to the influence of John Dewey on Ambedkar’s intellectual development.

Prof. Somashekar emphasised that Ambedkar’s deep and wide reading shaped his writings on caste, women’s rights, the Constitution and public finance and mentioned that Nobel Laureate Amartya Sen acknowledged Ambedkar’s impact on his scholarship. He concluded by urging students to treat reading as an inseparable part of life, just as Ambedkar did.

Dr. P. Sarasvathy, University Librarian, stressed the need for promoting reading throughout the year. She highlighted the comprehensive digital and conventional services offered by the Mysore University Library and encouraged students to utilise them fully.

Presiding over the programme, Prof. N. S. Harinarayana, Chairman of the Department, called upon LIS students to explore whether any communication occurred between S.R. Ranganathan and Dr. B. R. Ambedkar, considering their contemporaneity.

He also suggested that students undertake citation analysis of Ambedkar’s works by examining his footnotes and bibliographies, thus linking LIS research techniques with Ambedkar studies.

The event was organised by Mysore University Library and Information Science Students’ Association (MULISSA), with enthusiastic participation from faculty members, research scholars and students, under the guidance of Dr. M. Sunil Kumar, Faculty Advisor.