Goa State Central Library is the main library in the State of Goa, India. It is located in Panjim (Panaji) and its website claims that it is the first public library to be set up across India, in the early 1830s.

Oldest in India

According to its official site, it is "the oldest Public Library in India," having been inaugurated on 15 September 1832 by the Portuguese

Viceroy A viceroy () is an official who reigns over a polity in the name of and as the representative of the monarch of the territory. The term derives from the Latin prefix ''vice-'', meaning "in the place of" and the French word ''roy'', meaning "k ...

of Goa, Dom Manuel de Portugal e Castro. It was known then as the ''Publica Livraria'' of the ''Academia Militar de Goa'' (Military Training Institute). In 1834, the Portuguese government ordered the "suppression" of certain religious orders. The book collections of various convents belonging to these religious orders were transferred to the library, augmenting the repository considerably. In 1836, the name was changed to ''Bibliotheca Pública'' and it was thrown open to the public. In 1836 itself, the library was shifted to premises where the Municipal proceedings were held. In 1870, it was named as the ''Biblotheca Publica da Nova Goa.''Kakodkar, Dr. Archana A., 'Public Library Movement in Goa' in Public Libraries of the 21st Century. Ed. Carlos Fernandes et al. Goa: Directorate of Arts & Culture, 2010 In February 1897, the library was raised to the status of a National Library and renamed as ''Bibliotheca Nacional de Nova Goa.'' Later it was renamed as the ''Bibliotheca National Vasco da Gama''. By a decree dated 18 March 1956, the Privilege of Deposited Legal was made applicable to this library, making it entitled to receive, free of cost, copies of all publications from Portugal and her overseas colonies. After functioning as an annex of the institute, it was open for about 35 years. Kakodkar says that from September 1959, the library was put under the direct administrative control of the Services de Instruccao e Saude (Education and Health Services). In the past, the library's collection consisted mainly of books in

Portuguese Portuguese may refer to: * anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Portugal ** Portuguese cuisine, traditional foods ** Portuguese language, a Romance language *** Portuguese dialects, variants of the Portuguese language ** Portu ...

, French,

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Can ...

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

. A catalogue of the library was printed in 1907. Later, a card catalogue of the author, title and cross-reference were prepared.

From Portugal, overseas "provinces"

In March 1925 it became part of the Instituto Vasco da Gama, an academic-cultural institution, and was renamed as the ''Biblioteca Nacional Vasco da Gama''. By Decree Law 38684 of 18 March 1952, the ''Deposito Legal'' (Delivery Act) was made applicable to this library, according to its official website. Resultantly, the library received all publications from Portugal and her overseas Provinces. From September 1959, the ''Bibliotheca'' was separated from the Institute and placed under the administrative control of ''Servicos de Instruccao e Saude'' (Education and Health Services) and renamed as ''Biblioteca Nacional de Goa''. On the completion of its 175th year, a first-day postal cover was released by the Government of India's Department of Posts. After the end of Portuguese rule in Goa in 1961, the library was renamed as the Central Library, and its activities expanded with lending, reference and special services for children. It build up its collection in English, Marathi, Hindi, Konkani and languages like Bengali and Urdu. Its local history and rare book collection today includes titles from the 16th and 17th centuries, manuscripts and imprints, books on the history and culture of Goa, including Indo-Portuguese history, bound volumes of local journals and newspapers and books received under the Press and Registration of Books Act, 1867. Under the Government of India's Registration of Books Act, 1956, the Central Library is the copyright library of Goa and the publisher of every book published in Goa must send three copies of the same to this library. The Central Library compiles and publishes its annual bibliography of Goa-published books in the ''Official Gazette'' of Goa. Today, the Central Library is the State apex public library. It has under the control of its Directorate of Arts & Culture some seven taluka (sub-district) libraries, besides 121 government village libraries, panchayat and non-government organisation-run libraries currently functioning in Goa.

Collection

Its pre-1961 (Portuguese Goa) collection consists mainly of books and journals in Portuguese, French, Latin, English and a few books in local languages like Konkani and Marathi. Some 40,000 volumes date back to the pre-1961 era. Among other valuable texts, the Library holds incomplete collections of nineteenth and early twentieth century newspapers in Marathi, Konkani, English and Portuguese, published from Goa and from Bombay. Many of these are in a state of advanced disrepair. The library used to be the repository institution for Mozambique, and for other Portuguese colonies in Africa until the 18th century. There are educational reports and other official publications regarding Africa in the library. A professional catalogue for these collections can be accessed from the website of the University of Aveiro, Portugal under the collection Memorias de Africa. According to the Citizen's Charter of th
Directorate of Arts and Culture
"The State Central library is one of the oldest library in India is open for all readers irrespective of class, creed or nationality. The collection is available for reference in heRare and Goan History Section and Reference Section ... the Lending Section... the Newspaper and Magazine Section..." The State Central Library has a more than 180,000 book collection, in different languages like English, Hindi, Marathi, Konkani, Portuguese, since 1832. About 15,00,000 pages of rare books, official gazettes and newspapers are available in electronic format (microfilm Form). State Central Library acts a depository library under Press and Registration Books Act, 1867 and Delivery of Books Act, 1954 wherein the entire published book in the State should be deposited in the library for national posterity. Reference sources like general and subject dictionaries, encyclopedias, Who's Who directories, biographical dictionaries, gazetteers, atlases, travel guides and various other reference sources are available for users. Books for competitive examinations and valuable books on different subjects also form the part of this collection. Students and research scholars also utilise the library.

Location

The library was first housed in the first floor of the Police Building in Panjim (Panaji), Goa's state capital. Since 2011, the library has shifted to its new premises in the Pato locality of Panjim, near the main bus stand. It is housed in a spacious, six-floor building designed by award-winning architect

Gerard da Cunha Gerard da Cunha (born 1955) is an Indian architect based in Goa. He is the founder and principal architect of the architecture firm Architecture Autonomous. An alumnus of the School of Planning and Architecture, Delhi, he is known for utilizing lo ...

. News reports in April 2011 quoted officials of the Goa State Infrastructure Development Corporation (GSIDC) as saying that the Rs 32 crore (Rs 320 million) project comprises six floors and covers an area of 13,369 square metres.

Facilities

Media reports have projected that the library "will have" over half a million books—over twice the previous number of the smaller library which was located in the heart of town—besides access to 200 magazines and 20 newspapers. Also promised (prior to the launch of the library) were full-automation in lending and receiving books using th
LIBSYS software for library automation
(LIBSYS allows for acquisitions or purchase of books; cataloguing and organising documents; serial control for periodicals; circulation including membership records and books issue and return; and article indexing to create a database of articles published in journals). A special, user-friendly section has also been set up for children (on the second floor), a braille section for visually-challenged readers, an internet section. Officials were quoted saying that plans include "a facility for microfilming and a book preservation laboratory ... (among) the 27 sections that comprise the new centrally air-conditioned state library." The curator of the central library Carlos Fernandes said that the LIBSYS system is a library-management software that will connect all government libraries in Goa to the central library in Panaji. You can log on to the library website from home and check whether it has a particular book and whether that book is present in the library shelf or out on circulation.

Timings

The library is open on all seven days of the week, including weekends, but is closed on public holidays only. It is also kept open during the lunch break, and its working hours are from 9.30 am to 7:30 pm, though it closes a little earlier on the weekends. Saturdays and Sundays the library remains open from 9:30 am to 5:45 pm.

Other roles

Maria Pia de Menezes RodriguesMenezes Rodrigues, Maria Pia de, 'Public Library Services in Goa: Challenges for the 21st Century' in Public Libraries of the 21st Century. Ed. Carlos Fernandes et al. Goa: Directorate of Arts & Culture, 2010 says the Central Library offers lending, reading and reference facilities, the first being available only to registered members. Students from Goa and the rest of India make "extensive use of the collection", according to Rodrigues. Research facilities are available to scholars from India and abroad, specially those working on topics related to

Goa Goa () is a state on the southwestern coast of India within the Konkan region, geographically separated from the Deccan highlands by the Western Ghats. It is located between the Indian states of Maharashtra to the north and Karnataka to the ...

and

Indo-Portuguese Indo-Portuguese creoles are the several Portuguese creoles spoken in the erstwhile Portuguese Indian settlements, Cochin Portuguese Creole, Fort Bassein, Goa and Damaon, Portuguese Ceylon etc, in present-day India and Sri Lanka. These creoles a ...

history History (derived ) is the systematic study and the documentation of the human activity. The time period of event before the History of writing#Inventions of writing, invention of writing systems is considered prehistory. "History" is an umbr ...

. The library has taken part in organising

World Book Day World Book Day, also known as World Book and Copyright Day or International Day of the Book, is an annual event organized by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) to promote reading, publishing, and copyrig ...

, Librarian's Day, National Book Week and the like. Inter-library loan services have been extended to prisons, government and non-government organisations, she says.

The Book in Goa

According to Dr. Archana A. Kakodkar the ''Carreira da India'', or round-voyage between Portugal and India, brought books from Lisbon, Africa and Brazil and other Portuguese colonies – in a two-way traffic – in bundles and boxes as cargoes on the ships.

Membership of the library

Being a public library, funded by the State, it is open to all, and everyone is allowed to use its facilities. Home-lending however requires membership of the library, which currently costs between Rs 200 to 750 (lifetime deposit, no annual fee). To sign-up as a member, which is a speedy process normally done within half an hour, one requires to produce one or two passport sized photographs, and also a local proof of residence (which contains your name, address and photograph – such as a driving licence, passport, Adhar card, etc.). The requirements for membership (adult) are as follows: * One self photograph, in passport-size. * A photo identity card showing the applicant's residential address. (Aadhar Card, social security card, passport, driving license, a residence certificate issued by the competent authority, an office identity, a college identity card, a bank passport carrying a photo and address are eligible to be used for this purpose.) For children (below 10 years) the membership requirement is as follows: * Two passport-sized photographs. * A school identity card, or Aadhar Card or passport. Following are the fees of the library, according to information displayed at the library:

Administration today

The State Central Library Goa is currently under the administrative control of Government of Goa's Directorate of Art & Culture. The Curator is the Head of State Central Library, and its current Curator is Carlos Fernandes.

Layout of the library

The table below depicts the location of various resources in the library:

Photo gallery

File:State Central Library, Goa Dec 27, 2012 23.JPG, Visitors to the library. File:State Central Library, Goa Dec 27, 2012 22.JPG, Braille section. File:State Central Library, Goa Dec 27, 2012 21.JPG, Visiting the library. File:State Central Library, Goa Dec 27, 2012 20.JPG, A book lift. File:State Central Library, Goa Dec 27, 2012 19.JPG, A tour of the library. File:State Central Library, Goa Dec 27, 2012 18.JPG, Attracing guests from near and far. File:State Central Library, Goa Dec 27, 2012 17.JPG, Old-time books. File:State Central Library, Goa Dec 27, 2012 16.JPG, Portuguese-time newspapers. File:State Central Library, Goa Dec 27, 2012 15.JPG, Hand-written version of Krista Purana. File:State Central Library, Goa Dec 27, 2012 14.JPG, Newspapers, old and not so old. File:State Central Library, Goa Dec 27, 2012 13.JPG, Vol 1 Issue 1 of Goa's oldest newspaper. ''

O Heraldo ''O Heraldo'' is a century-old broadsheet English-language daily newspaper published from Panjim, the state-capital of the Indian state of Goa. History ''O Heraldo'' was established as the first daily Portuguese newspaper on 21 May 1900 by Al ...

''. Circa 1900. Kept at the library. File:State Central Library, Goa Dec 27, 2012 12.JPG, Rare Portuguese books. File:State Central Library, Goa Dec 27, 2012 11.JPG, Four-and-half centuries old book. File:State Central Library, Goa Dec 27, 2012 10.JPG, Readers at the library. File:State Central Library, Goa Dec 27, 2012 09.JPG, Children at the library. File:State Central Library, Goa Dec 27, 2012 08.JPG, Four-and-half centuries book. File:State Central Library, Goa Dec 27, 2012 07.JPG, Krista Purana. File:State Central Library, Goa Dec 27, 2012 06.JPG, Restoration and preservation. File:State Central Library, Goa Dec 27, 2012 05.JPG, Full-page scanning facilities, broadsheets newspapers can be digitised here. File:State Central Library, Goa Dec 27, 2012 04.JPG, Architect Gerard da Cunha, whose team designed the library. File:State Central Library, Goa Dec 27, 2012 03.JPG, Young readers. Dutch scholar and journalist Nigel Britto. File:State Central Library, Goa Dec 27, 2012 02.JPG, New arrivals. File:State Central Library, Goa Dec 27, 2012 01.JPG, The canteen. File:Central Library, Panjim (Panaji), Goa, India 10.JPG, Children's section on the second floor. File:Central Library, Panjim (Panaji), Goa, India 08.JPG, Reading gallery, overlooking capital Panjim (Panaji). File:Central Library, Panjim (Panaji), Goa, India 09.JPG, The magazine section, which is widely popular. File:Central Library, Panjim (Panaji), Goa, India 07.JPG, The library's oldest book, some five centuries old. File:Central Library, Panjim (Panaji), Goa, India 11.JPG, Auditorium and lecture-room File:Central Library, Panjim (Panaji), Goa, India 04.JPG, Goa, Portugal newspapers. File:Central Library, Panjim (Panaji), Goa, India 12.JPG, Braille section File:Central Library, Panjim (Panaji), Goa, India 13.JPG, View of the library File:Central Library, Panjim (Panaji), Goa, India 02.JPG, Curator Carlos Fernandes (left) shows valuable collections to visitors during PubNext2012. File:Central Library, Panjim (Panaji), Goa, India 05.JPG, Holdings of the library. Seen on one of the six floors. File:Central Library, Panjim (Panaji), Goa, India 01.JPG, External view of the campus,

Azulejo ''Azulejo'' (, ; from the Arabic ''al- zillīj'', ) is a form of Spanish and Portuguese painted tin-glazed ceramic tilework. ''Azulejos'' are found on the interior and exterior of churches, palaces, ordinary houses, schools, and nowadays, resta ...

s outside. File:Central Library, Panjim (Panaji), Goa, India 03.JPG, Visitors take a closer look at some of the earliest European-printed books in India. File:Books Listing Books In Portuguese -- Goa, India.jpg, Dictionary of Goan Literature (Portuguese)

References

* ''Public Libraries of the 21st Century''. Panjim/Panaji, Directorate of Arts & Culture, Government of Goa, 2010, p. 59-74

External links

Central Library official site
*
Article on architecture of new Central Library building
{{Authority control Libraries in Goa Library buildings completed in 2011 Buildings and structures in Panaji 2011 establishments in Goa Tourist attractions in Panaji Education in Panaji Public libraries in India Libraries established in 1832