In 1986, when historian A.R. Venkatachalapathy started visiting the library of the Madras Institute of Development Studies (MIDS), he did not realise he was commencing a nearly-four-decades-long bond with the institute.
Despite being a commerce student at Vivekananda College, he had made up his mind to become a historian. The MIDS library proved to be the refuge in this pursuit.
With economics-related studies taking pre-eminence at the MIDS, Mr. Venkatachalapathy says one would assume the institute’s library to stock up on works mostly related to economics. However, it maintains an impressive collection on a variety of fields like sociology, anthropology, history, philosophy, and linguistics. In 2001, when he decided to quit a better paying faculty job at a State-run university to join the MIDS to focus more on research, it was no wonder that the library was one of the key attractions that helped him seal the decision.
Chennai is home to magnificent libraries like Connemara Public Library and the Anna Centenary Library that have millions of books. The MIDS pales in comparison with these libraries in terms of collection. But what makes the MIDS library stand out is how well-curated and maintained it is, says Mr. Venkatachalapathy, now a professor at the institute.
A rival in Thiruvananthapuram
He insists that the only library in this region of India that can rival the quality and curation at the MIDS is the K.N. Raj Library at the Centre for Development Studies in Thiruvananthapuram. It is housed in a beautiful building designed by architect Laurie Baker.
L. Venkatachalam, Officiating Director and Reserve Bank of India Chair Professor at the MIDS, concurs. For instance, he points out that the MIDS, with its collection of classical texts like the works of Adam Smith and John Maynard Keynes, has the best collection of books in the field of history of economic thought.
R. Murugan, the librarian at MIDS, says the library houses around 63,000 works, including books, back volumes of journals, and rare maps. A speciality of the library is the extensive collection of government publications and statistical reports, dating to the late 19th Century. With efficient organising and well-experienced staff members, the users have to wait only for a few minutes to find what they are looking for, he says.
S. Subbalakshmi, the first librarian of the MIDS, from 1978 till 2007, says the emphasis on maintaining a well-stocked library has been there since the early days of the institute, started by economist Malcolm Adiseshiah in 1971.
When first tasked with organising over 6,000 books in possession of the institute at that time, she fondly remembers how the then Director, C.T. Kurien, gave her the freedom to choose between the Dewey system or the Ranganathan system of cataloguing. “I chose the Dewey system as it was simpler for everyone to understand,” she says.
She encountered difficulties in collecting government publications because of lack of transparency. She recalls jokingly how she earned a reputation for annoying the personnel at the Department of Stationery and Printing in Tamil Nadu because of her regular visits to insist on seeing the list of publications and purchasing them.
Borrowed and photocopied
As the stress was on collection of statistical reports, documents like the old Season and Crop Reports dating to 1901 were collected by photocopying the copies borrowed from the Connemara Public Library after a lot of pleading and persuasion, she says.
She says the library always maintained a good rapport with the publishers and the booksellers as undue favours or unfair practices were never expected and payments were made on time.
Mr. Murugan adds that the library has also gathered the different series of collected volumes of writings of many leaders, including Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru, B.R. Ambedkar and Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel. The publications of these volumes are often difficult to track. The collection has been possible because of the library’s good rapport with the publishers and booksellers.
A good deal of spending
Mr. Venkatachalapathy says that while at most educational institutions buying books is an afterthought with libraries being the first casualty in times of budget cuts, the MIDS remains an exception. A perusal of the annual report of the MIDS for 2021-22 shows that ‘Library’ was the fourth highest expenditure item, next to ‘Salaries’, ‘Project staff remuneration’ and ‘Other admin expenses’.
Increasing strain on the finances of the institute and lack of space are, however, becoming an issue of late. “We are still expanding our collection of books and have subscriptions for around 200 journals. However, space constraint is becoming a serious issue,” says Mr. Murugan. He points to a set of hardbound back volumes of journals that were yet to find a place in the shelves.
Golden jubilee events
As the institute turned 50 during COVID-19 in 2021, it is observing its golden jubilee now with a series of events. Mr. Venkatachalam says the institute is looking for increased funding from governments or from philanthropic foundations, or under the corporate social responsibility initiatives, especially to expand the library and get dedicated infrastructure for it.
Mr. Murugan says the institute is also hoping for more patrons for the library, which is open to members of the public. While the option to borrow books is restricted to the faculty members and research scholars, members of the public can access the books and other reference materials on weekdays from 9.45 a.m. to 5.30 p.m. The users can also photocopy the materials they need. Pointing to the thematic exhibition of the library’s collection organised during Independence Day and Madras Day celebrations this year, he says the institute is planning to organise more such events to attract users.
