3 Best Libraries in Kolkata, WB

“The National Library has a history spanning over 100 years and has become one of the largest publishers of works in multiple languages, housing an extensive collection of 2.2 million books. The library occupies about 130 acres and is home to nearly 200,000 volumes and 500,000 ancient manuscripts. Each year, over 18,000 visitors benefit from their vast collection of books, magazines, and journals, catering to researchers, scholars, and general readers. The library collects books, periodicals, and titles in virtually all the Indian languages, whilst the special collections in the National Library of India house works in at least fifteen languages. The Hindi department has books that date back to the nineteenth century and the first-ever works printed in that language. The collections include 86,000 maps and 3,200 manuscripts. The National Library also has dedicated sections for Indian languages such as Assamese, Bengali, Gujarati, Hindi, Kannada, Kashmiri, Malayalam, Marathi, Oriya, Punjabi, Sanskrit, Sindhi, Tamil, Telugu, and Urdu.”

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“American Library offers a wealth of current, accurate, and authoritative information through an extensive collection of print and electronic resources, supported by state-of-the-art technology. The library houses around 15,000 volumes of books, U.S. government and think tank reports, and DVDs on current topics. The library subscribes to 162 American periodicals and three major American newspapers. Their mission is to enhance understanding of the policies, values, institutions, and culture of the United States. American Library provides access to eLibrary USA, a virtual library offering millions of publications, scholarly journals, eBooks, audio, video, and other multimedia content, making it an invaluable resource for students, teachers, professors, government officials, and journalists.”

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“State Central Library offers a modern collection of resources housed in spacious storage buildings. The library provides specialized services for visually impaired users and children, catering to a diverse range of readers. State Central Library allows users to borrow materials for home reading and explore a wealth of knowledge. The library also provides access to digital resources, including e-books, online databases, and digital archives. The State Central Library is at the heart of a vast network of libraries in the region, which includes 12 Government Libraries, 2,463 Government-Sponsored Libraries, and 7 Government-Aided Libraries. The Directorate of Library Services has introduced a computerised networking system that links libraries across the state. This initiative includes a union catalogue and a digital archive of rare books, all of which are accessible online to assist scholars and the general public. State Central Library regularly organises workshops and seminars to promote literacy and lifelong learning among their patrons.”

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