Connemara Public Library at Chennai is one of the four ‘deposit libraries’ in India which entitles them to a copy of every publication in India. The library began in 1861 as part of the Madras Museum and in 1896 Lord Connemara, the then Governor of Madras Presidency, opened it to the public.
About Connemara Library :
Connemera library is one of the few oldest libraries in India. It holds many of the rarest collection of books. In India four or five libraries have the privelage of recieving a copy of each book published by any indian citizen. Connemera is one among them. Anybody above the age of 17 who is a chennaite can become the member of the library. You can take 6 books at a time with a 15 day time span to return them. It contains books related to every field of study. It also recieves some weekly, fortnights, and monthly magazines from all over the world.
Attactions Of Connemara Library In Chennai :
Connemara Public Library at Chennai is one of the four ‘deposit libraries’ in India which entitles them to a copy of every publication in India. The library began in 1861 as part of the Madras Museum and in 1896 Lord Connemara, the then Governor of Madras Presidency, opened it to the public. Henry Irwin, the renowned architect designed the building in the Pantheon complex in Chennai. The library stores a rapidly growing collection of over half a million books. Periodicals hall, reference and video rooms, an entire floor for books of various Indian languages and a Braille Library are the highlights here. The library also has a rich collection of rare books like the 1608 edition of The Bible and the whole set of Hortus Indicus Malabaricus. This library has been a UN depository center since 1956. This, Ocean of Knowledge, is a price worthy place for historians and literature enthusiasts.
Features Connemara Library :
Connemara Public Library at Chennai is one of the four National Depository Libraries which receive a copy of all books, newspapers and periodicals published in India. Established in 1890 the library is a repository of centuries-old publications, wherein lie some of the most respected works and collections in the country. It also serves as a depository library for the UN.
The library was as part of a cultural complex that grew in the grounds of what was once called ‘The Pantheon’. The entire complex now boasts buildings that reflect architectural unity, even while demonstrating the various stages of Indo-Saracenic development, from Gothic-Byzantine to Rajput Mughal and Southern Hindu Deccani.
The new building, which was added to the Library in 1973, has a vast collection of books, a much sought after text-book section, a periodicals hall, a reference room, a video room, an entire floor for books from the Indian languages, a Braille Library and an IAS study centre.
History Connemara Library :
At the turn of the 19th century a new landmark was added to Chennai, the capital of the Madras Presidency. The historic date was 22nd March 1890 when Lord Connemara the then Governor of Madras State laid the foundation stone for the present Connemara Pubic Library to fulfill the long felt need for a standard library. Another red letter day was 5 December 1896 when the library named after Lord Connemara was formally opened. Since then, a century has passed and the library had become a part of history as much as a part of our lives continuously functioning till date.
Collections Connemara Library In Chennai :
Under the provision of Delivery of Books and Newspapers (Public Libraries) Act 1954., every publisher in India has to compulsorily send a copy of each publication to the Connemara Public Library. Apart from this a good number of publications and periodicals of UN and its specialized organs and Asian Development Bank were also received. Further more a good number of books were added every year by purchasing from the funds made available by the State Government Budget. By this the collection of library grew very fast creating the problem of space to accommodate the materials.