The many tales of Connemara Public Library in Chennai

The many tales of Connemara Public Library in Chennai

On a rather breezy Friday evening, students were pouring in and out of the Connemara Public Library on the Government Museum campus in Egmore: some in large groups, others in focused solitude, with many staying the whole day. Thankfully, the structure, which houses over 9.8 lakh books, is not one of those forgotten places in the city.

And there is a reason for that.

One cannot ignore the library’s layers of history. When the former Governor of the Madras Presidency, Lord Connemara, recognised the need for a public library in the city, he laid its foundation stone on 22 March 1890. By 1896, the library was officially opened to the public. Since then, it has grown into a landmark of Chennai, with many prominent figures, including C.N. Annadurai, Rajagopalachari, R. Venkataraman, C. Subramaniam, and writer Sujatha, having been active members.

Fast forward to today, the library has been witnessing a significant increase in footfall from civil service aspirants like never before. “At least 600-700 students use the library every day, including a large section of civil service aspirants. Around 10% of them bring their own books, but space for that is limited,” says a senior librarian. While older readers still flip through newspapers and magazines in peace, it is the younger crowd that is most often seen in and around the library.

Ilamathi T., a UPSC aspirant from Salem, collected her bag from the library reception after a long day. “This library is like my second home. I also sit under the campus trees to study; it is peaceful, but at the same time, I am never alone, as many students are preparing for the exams alongside me,” said Ms. Ilamathi. “The archives of old newspapers and the stacks of competitive exam books especially come in handy,” she added.

What many may not know is that the heritage wing of the Connemara Library is the true jewel in its crown. It opens to the public only once a year, on April 18, when rare books from the 18th and 19th centuries come out to shine, such as The Revolt in Hindustan by Sir Evelyn Wood, Centamil published in 1822, and many more. But the spaces that hum with daily activity are the textbook section, followed by the general books, reference section, Indian language books, and periodicals.

The library management has been coming up with book exhibitions, student activity programmes, children’s books area, cultural programmes, and so on to increase the footfall on the literary fiction side, which has taken a dip. Meanwhile, the Public Works department has also been working on a conference room and STEM zone inside the library.