Children at a fancy dress competition during the annual day celebrations of the International Library-cum-Cultural Centre. Picture by Prashant Mitra

Ranchi, Dec. 11: Reading a book! Boring. The lure of the fine print is on the wane. With the Internet providing instant information and the cable television bombarding the drawing rooms, reading habits have taken a beating.

“Public libraries have very few visitors these days. Still if a library is in good shape, emphasis should not be given on the number of books, but on what people want to read,” said Jharkhand Governor Ved Parakash Marwah at the 8th Annual Day function of the International Library-cum- Cultural Centre, Ranchi.

Earlier A.B. Davis, secretary of the board of trustees that had taken over the erstwhile British Library said the board ran the library for eight years after the British Council decided to dispose it. It also increased the number of books from 14,000 to 35,000.

In 1995, British Council had decided to close down the library “for want of patronage”. But Davis took the initiative and some eminent citizens came forward to run it, ensuring its survival under the new name — International Library and Cultural Centre.

Memberships were introduced under the categories of corporate, institutional, life and individual. At present, the library has around 2,000 members and 250 people visit it everyday, said Davis, adding that now this library also has books by non-British publishers and a Hindi section.

Expansion plans are on the cards. It will become the country’s only public library with a computerised Braille-reading system for the visually-impaired.

The State Bank of India has agreed to donate Rs 6.6 lakh for the purpose, she further added.

Old-timers feel that the British Library was much better, but the students depend a lot on the present one because of the wide variety of educational texts.

“I am preparing for my MA examination in English Literature and the library is a big help,” said Binoy Bharat, a member and a regular visitor to the library.

He, however, feels the library does not have enough books by Indian writers — either in original English or in translation.