MARGAO: Finally, the Margao Municipality Council (MMC) has woken up from its slumber and decided to appoint a full-time librarian for the civic body’s library and implement all the suggestions by the team of experts from Goa University to save the treasure trove of knowledge.
After a year has passed, the MMC for the first time discussed the dismal state of the municipal library and resolved to implement all the suggestions made by the experts pertaining to preserving and maintaining the hundreds of rare books in its collection.
HERALD first highlighted the issue on July 2, 2021, that a treasure trove of more than 1,500 old Portuguese books in the MMC library has been craving for attention for years, due to excess moisture, dust and infestation by insects.
Thereafter, a team of experts led by Goa University’s professor in charge of the Department of Library Carlos Fernandes visited the library and made 13 suggestions, of which a few were to be implemented on an urgent basis.
HERALD again on Thursday, August 18 and Friday, August 19 this year highlighted that how after a year has passed nothing had moved and plastic buckets, and uniforms were occupying space on the shelves and that in absence of professional staff, a sweeper was handling the counter of the library.
It took a year for the civic body to take up the issue on the main agenda of the council meeting and on Monday the MMC resolved to implement the suggestions on priorities, including appointing a full-time professional librarian.
Expressing serious concern towards the rare books, including hundreds of Portuguese-era books craving urgent attention, the councillors acknowledged the role of HERALD in highlighting the issue.
Councillor Sagun Naik brought to the notice of the council the pathetic conditions of the knowledge treasure, especially the centuries-old rare books and demanded to implement all the suggestions made by the team of experts from the Goa University.
“These centuries-old rare books are an asset to the civic body and hence we need to look into the matter seriously. The issue highlighted by the media pertaining to the pathetic state of rare books, with electric fixtures, water buckets and even uniforms of the municipal staff hanging on the shelves of the books is a very serious offence,” he stated.
Naik further said, “We will lose the treasure of knowledge if something happens to these books and hence it is high time we implement all the suggestions made by the expert at the earliest.”
Agreeing to the same, Councillor Mahesh Amonkar urged the government to install CCTV cameras in the library and also to adopt the digitisation of all the books from the library.
The council also resolved to implement the other suggestions made by the experts, step by step. It was also resolved to start a process of appointing a full-fledged librarian.
