To cultivate a true reading culture, Goa must deliver on its Library Policy
The Margao municipal council’s renovated library was inaugurated yesterday. It has been equipped with digital infrastructure, including desktop computers and video conferencing facilities aimed specifically at helping students attend online classes, along with Wi-Fi connectivity and CCTV surveillance. This is a positive development, for a library that embraces digital technology becomes a vibrant hub of knowledge. A library is more than a repository of books; it is a community resource that brings people closer to learning, a space for all generations – senior citizens, students, and researchers – promoting access to information, the exchange of ideas and lifelong learning. In the digital age, all libraries need to use technological advancements not only in running the libraries but also in providing pro-citizen facilities.
The library was renovated under a central government scheme to provide digital infrastructure to public libraries. The central government reportedly sanctioned Rs 74 crore to Goa for library renovation, with an emphasis on digital initiatives in the state. Goa has libraries at the municipal and panchayat levels under the framework of the Goa Public Libraries Act, a legislation passed in 1993 when Dr Wilfred de Souza was the chief minister. In April this year, the state cabinet approved the Goa State Library Policy 2024-34, setting in motion an ambitious plan to modernise and expand the state’s library ecosystem, with a strong focus on digital access and promoting the reading habit. Chief Minister Pramod Sawant stated that the government would finance the creation of digital public libraries. He also said that 90 libraries were to be taken up as e-libraries this financial year during the first phase. Work has been taken up in many libraries, including the Mapusa municipal library, which is one of the oldest in the state, having been set up in 1883. It was named after a prominent educationist, Fr Francisco Luis Gonzago Ataide. The library reopened in April 2025, six years after it was shut for structural repairs and renovation work undertaken by GSUDA at the cost of Rs 3.8 crore. Hopefully, the e-library works at the Mapusa municipal library and other public libraries will be completed in time.
Goa has a history of public libraries. The Krishnadas Shama Goa State Central Library in Panaji is considered India’s oldest public library, originally established in 1832. It was housed on the ground floor of the Institute Menezes Braganza in Panaji until 2012. The state-of-the-art government library was initiated when Digambar Kamat was chief minister and was inaugurated in April 2012 by the then chief minister Manohar Parrikar. It has more than 3 lakh books and documents, old manuscripts, microfilmed papers, a dedicated children’s reading section, a Braille section, a conservation lab, etc.
Funding and support for public libraries come from the Directorate of Art & Culture. If the state truly wants to boost libraries and monitor their operations while providing facilities that attract youngsters, they deserve a dedicated department of library sciences, as is done in several other states. The Goa State Library Policy is a comprehensive document that can change the face of public libraries in the state and also encourage private libraries. Just being a 100 per cent literate state is not enough. The reading habit has to be pushed aggressively. The government must dialogue with the student community, senior citizens and other sections of society to get their feedback on public libraries. Accordingly, necessary steps can be taken. Effective implementation of Goa Library Policy will help rebuild a reading culture that will also help Goa achieve the goals of Viksit Goem.
