Bookshelves to Insta Feed
By Radhika Agarwal
Libraries in the age of social media are like candles in the wind
Reading Room, National Library, Bandra, Mumbai
Mumbai has some of the most beautiful historical libraries in the country such as the Asiatic Society of Mumbai, David Sassoon Library, People’s Free Reading Room, National Library at Bandra, and so on. Unfortunately, buried under the impact of restoration around the Fort area, which houses most of the old libraries, set back by the no-contact norm of the COVID-19 pandemic, and helmed in by people’s apathy towards libraries as social institutions, most old libraries are struggling to survive. The hallways of most of these libraries, stacked with shelf after shelf of books, have fallen silent – not due to the rules of the library but people’s disinterest in them.
One of the primary reasons is the lack of visibility of these libraries on the internet, especially on social media. The libraries too, stately and belonging to another era when information and knowledge spread differently, have been reluctant to change their rules and ways to adapt to the new modes of communication; they see publicity and being in people’s eye as superfluous flowing from the old belief that people must seek knowledge. This makes them obscure and invisible to generations which are only resorting to the internet, especially social media, for their information and knowledge. Those who have adapted to the online world see people on their websites but not in the physical space.
J.N. Petit Library and Reading Room, Mumbai
“As all the books are available online, fewer people feel the need to come to the library,” explains Nisha Rupani, senior librarian at J.N. Petit Library, who has been with the institution since 2002, about the decrease in library membership. The J.N. Petit Library looks like it has come straight out of a movie – the brown shelves reach the ceiling and you have to climb up the balcony to reach most of these books. “Now, most of the things that are there in the library you can find online as well, except some of our old books that we haven’t digitized,” says Rupani about how the Library is trying to upgrade itself.
It has a website and updated information about what books are available in the Library including new books, in-demand books, old books, and newspapers. However, having a website is just scratching the surface if you need visibility on the internet. “We are an old library, and being on social media doesn’t really fit with the kind of work we do,” Rupani explains why the library hasn’t extended its efforts to be more visible or accessible on the internet.
Marble Steps and Entrance, Asiatic Library, Mumbai
Sanjay Bansal, librarian at State Central Library of the 219-year-old Asiatic Society of Mumbai, is of the view that though information can be found on social media, it has a way higher chance of being riddled with misquotations, errors, and confusing bits of information. “Google gives you a lot of information, but if you actually want to form opinions about something, the library is the best source to study from,” he says.
This Library is in a better place, Bansal informs, because the Library does not have to purchase books and is supposed to receive first copies of every written material published in India, according to the established norms. Also, the imposing white heritage structure with the iconic steps outside and the stately marble staircase inside is quite popular amongst book enthusiasts and serious readers.
Crossword bookstore, Kemps Corner, Mumba
The readers are there, the popularity of BookTube and Bookstagram is increasing, and so is the popularity of reading as a habit, contrary to the pet peeve of older people that the new generation does not like reading. The popularity of book-related channels on social media, and increasing footfalls in bookstores belie this. Sanjeev Kamath, store manager, Kitab Khana, who has been in the business for 40 years attests to this as does a manager at Crossword bookstore who did not want to be identified. Both of them believe that building a social media presence and organizing events have had a positive impact on the footfalls in their stores – and on the sale of books.
The internet has not necessarily spelt doom for libraries but there is an increasing need for libraries to spread awareness about their presence and reach out to people too. Adapting to the changing time and new technologies is central to how libraries bridge the information gap between various strata of the society.
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