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Chief Minister M.K. Stalin on Tuesday virtually inaugurated ‘special libraries’ at bus termini, government hospitals, and Collectorates in Vellore, Ranipet and Tirupattur districts.
School Education Department officials said public spaces with high footfalls were chosen for setting up the facilities to inculcate reading habit, especially among children and help them reduce their screen time. “The facilities will function from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on all days, except Fridays and public holidays,” K.R. Palani, Vellore District Library Officer, told The Hindu.
In Vellore, the special libraries were opened at the new bus terminus, Vellore Government Medical College Hospital and Government Taluk Hospital in Gudiyatham.
Vellore Collector V.R. Subbulaxmi, Mayor Sujatha Anandakumar, and elected representatives visited the library at the Collectorate and bus terminus in the district.
“Most of the books are in Tamil. These are small in size, making it easier to complete them before we board the buses,” said C. Prem Kumar, a commuter.
Officials said the libraries had been set up on the ground floor of hospitals and Collectorates, making it convenient for readers to visit the facility.
Each library has separate sections for women and children, and exclusive newspaper and magazine, apart from adequate sanitary facilities. Each has around 150-200 books in English and Tamil on subjects ranging from history and politics to reference books for competitive examinations. The plan is to add new books to the collection every month.
A full-time librarian has been posted at the libraries, which can accommodate around 20 visitors at a time.
The facilities have also been inaugurated at the bus terminus in Arakkonam, government hospitals in Walajah and Tirupattur, and the Collectorates in Ranipet and Tirupattur.
Ranipet has the highest number of libraries (71), followed by Vellore (53) and Tirupattur (34).
Published – June 10, 2025 10:14 pm IST
