Delhi Public Library
| Country | India |
|---|---|
| Type | Public |
| Established | 1951 |
| Location | New Delhi |
| Branches | 35+ |
| Collection | |
| Items collected | Books, NewspaperPeriodicals, Braille Books, Paintings, Digital Media, Gramophone Records |
| Size | 1.5M |
| Legal deposit | National Depository Centre |
| Access and use | |
| Circulation | 1M |
| Members | 72,000 |
| Other information | |
| Budget | INR 139M |
| Director | Dr. Banwari Lal |
| Staff | 244 |
| Website | www.dpl.gov.in |
Delhi Public Library is a national depository library in the Indian state of Delhi. The library has 35 branches across the state.
History
The Library was established on 27 October 1951 as a pilot project sponsored by UNESCO and the Government of India. The library project dates back to 1944, when Shri Ramkrishna Dalmia donated most of the amount required to construct a library building at the request of Gen. Sir Claude Auchinleck. In February 1950 the Indian government and UNESCO agreed to initiate the project, and the library was officially opened on 27 October 1951, by then Prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru. The library buildings were acquired between 1951 and 1953, with operations formally transferred from UNESCO to the Indian Government in 1955. The library provides training facilities to student librarians and social education workers from its early days.[1]
Facilities
As a depository library it receives a copy of all books, newspapers and periodicals published in India. The users are free to use the library and books upon one time subscription. The library has a network of branches in Delhi as well as mobile branches with following free to use facilities upon refundable security deposit[2][3]
- Collection of more than 18 Lakh books in English, Hindi, Urdu, Punjabi and other languages
- All main branches has children section with an exclusive branch for children
- Braille library for the visually impaired
- Prison library for Tihar Central Prison
- Free internet service
- DVD media collection