Two-day mega event celebrating libraries to start from Aug 5

Highlighting the importance of books and libraries that house them, the Union Ministry of Culture will be holding a two-day event titled “Festival of Libraries 2023”. It will be inaugurated by President Droupadi Murmu and will be held on August 5 and 6 at Hall No. 5, Pragati Maidan, New Delhi.

The festival, which is part of the second phase of the Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav, will kick off with a series of exciting launch events, exhibitions, and panel discussions.

The festival is being held in line with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision to foster the development and digitization of libraries and cultivate a culture of reading in India.

Those visiting the event will have the opportunity to experience 10 captivating exhibitions showcasing cartography, calligraphy, cursive writing, and tribal fonts and scripts. Apart from this, they also explore a remarkable exhibition featuring rare archival collections and illuminated manuscripts.

It will also feature interactive drawing rooms with book-author sessions, digital displays, podcasts, and the Human Library Project. A dedicated Children’s Zone will provide hands-on activities to foster a love for reading among children.

The event will serve as a platform to showcase iconic libraries from around the world, initiating a dialogue on the modernization and digitization of libraries while also facilitating in formulation of policies for development of model libraries to the village and community levels.

During this festival, a special ranking system for libraries across India will be launched to promote excellence and innovation in the library sector. Other highlights of the event include launch of a crowd-sourced Directory of Libraries and the signing of a Tripartite MoU between three prominent libraries, namely, the Khuda Bakhsh Oriental Public Library, Patna; Rampur Raza Library, Rampur; and Maulana Abul Kalam Azad Arabic Persian Research Institute, Tonk, for long term collaborative events, commencement of celebration of 250 years of the Rampur Raza library,

Also on the cards is the launch of the Sassy Library Series and the release of a set of Cursive Writing Books in the 22 vernacular languages.

The event will include roundtable discussions and panels where participants can explore library best practices from Indian states and libraries worldwide. There will be engaging conversations with organizers of literary festivals, young authors, publishing houses, and more.

The event will conclude with a valedictory function which will be graced by Jagdeep Dhankhar, the Vice President.