Ahmedabad, June 27 (IANS) Union Home and Cooperation Minister Amit Shah visited the Information and Library Network (INFLIBNET) Centre in Gandhinagar on Friday where he reviewed the institution’s operations and shared key inputs to boost its accessibility and impact.
HM Shah also launched the mobile application of Sastu Sahitya Vardhak Karyalaya during the visit. Calling himself “a child of the library”, HM Shah underlined the role of libraries in shaping young minds and said they remain a vital tool in nation-building.
He stressed the need to make library services more accessible to students and citizens alike, and called for modernisation of public libraries across the Gandhinagar Lok Sabha constituency through digital connectivity and integration with INFLIBNET’s vast online resources. Amit Shah praised the Centre’s proposed e-Public Library model and toured its Data Centre, suggesting further expansion and greater outreach.
The Union Minister urged INFLIBNET to promote its digital services more actively so that more libraries and students across the country can benefit. The minister also recommended linking all public libraries in Gujarat with the INFLIBNET portal to create a unified digital library network.
He emphasised digitising and preserving rare texts found in traditional libraries and encouraged efforts to foster reading habits among the youth.
The INFLIBNET Centre, set up by the University Grants Commission (UGC) under the Ministry of Education, was established in 1991 to drive digital transformation in university libraries across India.
It offers researchers and students access to a wide array of academic resources. Officials from the Department of Sports, Youth and Cultural Activities, librarians from the Gandhinagar constituency, and INFLIBNET’s senior scientists and director were present during the visit.
Gujarat’s public library ecosystem is both expansive and evolving. State-run data shows there are 3,464 government public libraries, including a state central facility and 26 district-level libraries, alongside 3,168 grassroots branches. Beyond the public sector, the Advance Information Network of Libraries in Gujarat (ADINET) links nearly 2,000 libraries — from school and college to institutional and public libraries — across the state .
Among major city institutions, Surat’s Kavi Narmad Central Library holds over 287,000 books, including a dedicated children’s section and Braille collection, and serves more than 36,000 registered users. In Ahmedabad, the heritage M. J. Library, founded in 1938 with Mahatma Gandhi’s support, continues to function as a vibrant public space .
Vadodara’s Central Library, with roughly 290,000 volumes, is also a key resource. The state government began modernizing these libraries in the early 2000s under the Gujarat Public Libraries Act (2001), rolling out computerization — including RFID-enabled central and district libraries — and connecting them via the SOUL software under INFLIBNET’s guidance.
–IANS
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