The Alappuzha municipality is all set to start delivering books from libraries within its limit at doorsteps.
As part of the project Vignjana Nagaram – Vayanasala Vadhilpadiyil, the civic body will on Sunday launch a mobile application for people to order books online from the Alappuzha Municipal Library. The project will be extended to 17 more libraries within its limits in a phased manner. The libraries combined have a stock of over two lakh books.
Touted as the first-of-its-kind initiative among local bodies in the State, the door-to-door delivery of books will be done with the help of volunteers. The municipality will charge a nominal user fee for the delivery and return of books. The volunteers will be provided travel allowance. To make the project a success, ward-level library committees with people's representatives and readers as members are being constituted across the municipality.
According to the municipal authorities, less than 5% of the registered members are visiting the libraries. The project, they say, will revive the habit of reading and create new readers, especially among the younger generation.
"In the initial phase, around 40,000 books at the municipal library have been made available for home delivery. The details of the books and 2,700 library members have been digitised. Our plan is to extend the project to all libraries in the municipality with the help of the Ambalappuzha Taluk Library Society," says Soumya Raj, chairperson, Alappuzha municipality.
In the second phase, the civic body plans to upgrade the Alappuzha Municipal Library as a reference library in the district by increasing its collection of books.
The technological framework to implement the project was provided free of cost by Techgentsia Software Technologies Private Limited, an IT company based at Infopark, Cherthala.
The Vignjana Nagaram – Vayanasala Vadhilpadiyil project will be inaugurated by Speaker M.B. Rajesh at the Alappuzha Town Hall on Sunday at 10.30 a.m. The mobile application will be launched by P.P. Chitharanjan, MLA.
