The state of Tamil Nadu is located in the southernmost part of the Indian subcontinent. This state occupies an area of about 130,060 square kilometers. It is recognized as one of the most literate states in India. According to 2011 census, Tamil Nadu has a literacy rate of about 80.33%. Taking care of the education of the people residing in this state are renowned educational institutes like Indian Institute of Technology Madras, College of Engineering, Indian Institute of Management, Indian Maritime University, National Institute of Technology etc. Apart from these institutions, Tamil Nadu has several libraries which serve as significant sources of information and wisdom for the students.
Libraries of Tamil Nadu
Chennai, the capital city of Tamil Nadu serves as a home to libraries like the Government Public Library, Roja Muthiah Research Library, Central Library (Indian Institute of Technology Madras) and Anna Centenary Library. The district of Salem houses the District Central Library. Connemara Public Library is situated in Egmore, an important residential area near Chennai. Saraswathi Mahal Library is located in the city of Thanjavur. Villupuram, a municipality and an administrative headquarters of Viluppuram district serves as a home to a library called the Villupuram District Central Library.
Roja Muthiah Research Library
The collection of Roja Muthiah Research Library covers diverse fields like humanities, social sciences and popular culture. It will intimate its visitors with the Tamil print heritage and culture. This library is a storehouse of about 3lakh items like oleographs, wedding invitations and private letters.
Central Library, Indian Institute of Technology Madras
This library fulfills the academic requirements of the students via books, e-journals, patents, e-standards, theses, reports, monographs, audio video cassettes, etc. This library maintains various full text and bibliographical databases.
Anna Centenary Library
This library is the largest library in South Asia. Books, journals, magazines, braille books and manuscripts form the collection of this library. This collection has been divided into various sections like the Braille Section, Own Book Reading Section, Children"s Section, Periodicals Section, Tamil Books Section and English Book Section.
Connemara Public Library
This library is one of the four National Depository Libraries which receive a copy of all books, newspapers and periodicals published in India. Some of the noteworthy aspects of this library are the Bible, Nicolai Laverrntii Burmanni`s Flora Indica and Charles Lockyer`s "An account of the Trade in India".
Saraswathi Mahal Library
This library is one of the oldest libraries in Asia. It holds a variety of manuscripts like manuscripts written in Sanskrit, Tamil manuscripts, Marathi manuscripts, Telugu manuscripts, Persian and Urdu manuscripts.
