Development of Library

INDIAN INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT, KOZHIKODE[pic 1]

Social Development Project

Final Report

Kozhikode District Library

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GROUP 41:

PGP/19/242        Abhinav Gupta

PGP/19/243        Abhishek Anilkumar Jain

PGP/19/244        Aditya Sonthalia

PGP/19/245        Amar Sneh

PGP/19/246        Anisha Goyal

PGP/19/280     S. Madhu

Table of Contents

Executive Summary1

Introduction2

Plan of Project3

Description/Implementation of Plan4

Deliverables of the Project5

Key Insights and Reflections6

Executive Summary

The Kozhikode District Library is the place for the readers and students in the district. The Social Development Project is about increasing awareness and footfall of the teenagers of Kozhikode district in the public library that provides them an access to information, knowledge academic discourses and exchange of thoughts with fellow readers. The project is a part of the Compassionate Kozhikode project undertaken by the District Collector’s Office. It is about the opportunities through which teenagers could make the maximum use of the engagements possible with the Public Library. To analyze the reading habits, needs and requirements of the teenagers in the district, a survey was conducted in various locations across Calicut city. Along with the survey, literature review of various different libraries present in different states/countries was done to analyze what facilities can be included in the library. Finally, besides the infrastructure problems, other critical problems were identified and recommendations were suggested.

Introduction

The third party agency which we are working for is the Kozhikode Public Library and Research Center in Mananchira, Kozhikode. The library building has colonial architecture and was constructed in 1996. It is a five storey building of which three floors are operational. The first floor has a reading room where newspapers and magazines are open to the public. Every day, a handful of people use this section. On the second floor, different genres of books are available. Our area of focus is the teenage section to bring relevant and up to date books for use by teenagers of Kozhikode city. Currently, most of the books are archaic and outdated. The third floor is used for meetings.

Membership access is of four categories- Part-time, Lifetime, Ordinary and Student. The student membership costs Rs.30 for admission, Rs.250 as security deposit and Rs.15 per month. This expires when a student reaches tenth standard. Book circulation timings are 2-7pm. Overall, the library needs revival to increase the footfall and to cater the needs of the readers.

A recent addition to the first floor is a Kaushal Kendra. This is a sophisticated center with state-of-the-art facilities and a community skill park. Kerala Academy for skills and excellence built this with a budget of Rs. 1cr. It features a digital library with universal access of books. A Language lab trains participants in English, German and French languages. There is also a multi-skill room which trains students to appear for interviews. The enrolment fee for a 50 hour skill development course is Rs.100. This section lacks public attention due to lack of awareness amongst residents of Kozhikode city.

The library currently is in a worn out state and grossly neglected premises, with no reading resources worth the name, and a highly de-motivated staff. There is a visible lack of shelves which have led to arrangement of books making it difficult for members to access them. The library lacks the basic infrastructure like painting, window grills, printer and photocopy facilities. The Library even lacks the inverter leading to shut down in case of a power failure.

Plan of the Project

The objective of our Social Development Project is to increase the footfall at Kozhikode Public Library thereby inculcating reading habit among teenagers group.

Our proposed event timeline and was as follows:

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Description/Implementation of Plan

We first learnt about the current state of the library, what is it offering and what can be done to improve the present condition. We also learnt the current functionalities & facilities provided by the library. By understanding the different issues with the library via market survey & analysis and visiting the institution, we decided that to promote awareness, attract teenagers, increase footfall and make teenagers of Kozhikode utilize the library to its full potential we will be organizing few events in the library premises itself.