The state of Tamil Nadu is one of the most literate states in India. Chennai, the capital of Tamil Nadu, is the biggest cultural, economic and educational centre in south India. Chennai ranks second among Indian metropolitan city centers with a 90.33 percent literacy rate. Taking care of the education of the masses of Chennai are boards like Tamil Nadu State Board, Tamil Nadu Board of Secondary Education, the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE), Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations, National Institute of Open Schooling, University of Madras, Indian Institute of Technology in Madras and Anna University. Apart from these boards and institutions, Chennai has several libraries, which serve as significant sources of information and wisdom for the students.
Libraries in Chennai
Libraries in Chennai offer knowledge and insight in all possible streams like history, science, literature, astrology, etc. Some of the Libraries in Chennai are Anna Centenary Library, Connemara Public Library, Roja Muthiah Research Library and British Council Library.
Anna Centenary Library
Anna Centenary Library (ACL) is one of the most important libraries of Tamil Nadu and is owned by the state"s government. It is also enlisted amongst the largest libraries of Asia. Built under the governance of M. Karunanidhi, it derives its name from the former Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, C. N. Annadurai. This library houses about 1.2 million books.
Connemara Public Library
Connemara Public Library was set up in the year 1896 and is regarded as one of the four National Depository Libraries which receive a copy of all newspapers, periodicals and books published in India. The new building of the library has various sections to serve different needs of the students. They are a periodicals hall, a text-book section, a Braille Library, a video room, a reference room, an IAS study centre and an entire floor for books relating to Indian languages.
Roja Muthiah Research Library
Roja Muthiah Research Library (RMRL) was established in the year 1996. It has a collection of Roja Muthiah, who was known to have one of the finest libraries of the world having Tamil publications. This library has also established the Indus Research Centre for carrying out scientific investigations about different aspects of Harappan Civilization, especially on the Indus Scripts which have not been deciphered yet.
British Council Library
British Council Library serves as a home to over 20,000 books, DVDs, magazines and newspapers. This library is regarded as a place of socialization. Here, group of people gather and explore the resources of the library and can attend skills-based workshop or a lively author event.
