About Dr. B.R. Ambedkar State Library Shimla
Brief History of Dr. B.R. Ambedkar State Library Shimla
At present, the Bharat Ratna Dr. Bhim Rao Ambedkar State Library is functioning through three branches in Shimla. These include the Ridge Bhawan branch, the Gandhi Bhawan branch located on the ground floor of the Evening College campus, and the main branch at the Dr. B. R. Ambedkar State Library Building near Kennedy Chowk. Together, these branches provide accessible reading and study facilities to students, researchers, and general readers across the city.
Before independence, the Main State Library was located in the Ridge Bhawan Building.
The Station library was run by the Britishers in Shimla. After Independence, in 1950 this library was amalgamated with the Municipal Library The management of the Station Library formed a trust to operate upon the accounts of the Station Library. The following were the trustees of the Station Library Trust:
1. DC Shimla - Chairman
2. Principal GC Shimla - Member
3. Asstt. Commissioner MC Shimla - Member
The Municipal Library was taken over by Education Department from the Municipal Corporation on 10th April, 1986 under the orders of HP Govt. The agreement was made on 10th April, 1986 at Shimla between the Commissioner (M.C.) called the first party and the Secretary (Education), second party on the behalf of Govt. of H.P
As the space in the building at the Ridge was not sufficient to house this library, it was decided by the Govt. to shift all the old books to the Gandhi Bhawan (Mansa Building), the building of Education Department situated near General Post Office. So the stock of approx 45,000 old books was transferred to Gandhi Bhawan from the library at Ridge.
Since 1990, the section at Gandhi Bhawan remained closed due to administrative reasons on account of opening of Evening College in the premises. But as per order of Director of Education, H.P. Shimla the library at Gandhi Bhawan was reopened to the public on 9th September, 1996.
Gandhi Bhawan (On the ground floor, The Building of Education Department)
The Gandhi Bhawan section of H.P. State Library is situated near General Post Office Shimla. This library is equipped with 39309 old books and certain rare books which are published about more than hundred years ago.
The Himachal Pradesh State Library was considered a dream project of Late Sh.Virbhadra Singh during his tenure as Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh. He laid the foundation stone of this important institution with the vision of creating a modern, well-equipped state-level library in Shimla. The project aimed to provide students, researchers, and the general public with access to quality study materials, digital resources, and a peaceful academic environment. It reflected his commitment to promoting education, knowledge, and intellectual growth in the state.
On 14 February 2019, Sh.Jai Ram Thakur inaugurated the Bharat Ratna Dr. Bhim Rao Ambedkar State Library at Kennedy Chowk near the State Vidhan Sabha in Shimla. Constructed at a cost of about ₹10 crore, the library has a total floor area of over 2000 square meters and a seating capacity of 120 persons. It houses a rich collection of more than 72,400 books, catering to students, research scholars, and general readers. The Chief Minister stated that the establishment of the library reflects the state government’s commitment to providing quality education and promoting a culture of reading and research among the youth.
Although the initial estimated cost of the building was ₹15 crore, it was completed at a reduced cost of around ₹10 crore, for which the Chief Minister appreciated the efforts of the Public Works Department (PWD). The modern facility includes a book stacking area, reading hall, counter, librarian room, issue and return section, computer and digitisation sections, technical section, canteen, binding area, server room, and electrical room. On the occasion, Education Minister Suresh Bhardwaj welcomed the Chief Minister and other dignitaries present at the event.
Contact Us
Phone No. 0177-2652965
Email id. hpstatelibraryshimla@gmail.com
Comments
Post a Comment