Kollam Public Library at a crossroads

It has not opened since the outbreak of the pandemic last year

While most libraries are finding ways to adapt and function adhering to the new normal, the Kollam Public Library and Research Centre makes an exception. A major resource for book lovers, students, and researchers in the district, the library has been remaining closed for more than a year now. The library had downed shutters a couple of months after the plans to convert it to a virtual repository were announced by the chairman of its governing body and Kollam Collector B.Abdul Nasar. The project was announced towards the end of 2019 and the authorities had to close it in mid-March following the lockdown. “Many of us were dependent on the library for reference material and preparations to attend PSC exams. No other library in the district is equipped for this and though many libraries allowed entry after the first wave, this one has stayed shut,” says Sujith L, student.