Reading time at Hiron Library. Picture by Bishwarup Dutta

On the eve of its centenary year, Hiron Library is struggling to find takers for its dust-coated books, brittle and fusty with age, lining the racks of a 500-sq-ft rented room at 11 Beadon Street.

For those not in the know, the cramped shelves of the private library may toss out a gem or two. Swarnakumari Debi’s collection of writings or Harachandra Ghosh’s Bhanumatir Chittobilash, for instance.

Currently, Hiron Library has only 200 members to pick and choose from its impressive collection of about 30,000 books — a long way from the pool of 50 books with which Hiron Kumar Ghosh had started the library in March 1909.

Apart from novels, children’s books and publications on religion and history, the library has built up a rich collection of Bengali journals over the years.

What hasn’t changed much is the membership fee of Rs 5 a month. Yet the membership count has dropped by 50 over the past five summers, resulting in a dip in the library’s revenue.

The funds crunch is now taking a toll on the ageing tomes. Hiron Library depends on donations from members, which roughly amounts to a paltry Rs 5,000-6,000 a year.

“A large part of this sum is spent on buying books. Many books are stacked on the cramped shelves as we don’t have enough space to display them. We are just scraping through somehow,” said Sarit Kumar Ghosh, the library secretary and grandson of Hiron Kumar Ghosh.

Running the library has been a labour of love for Sarit and his staff of nine members, who work for free. But with no funds in sight, the team of 10 is worried about the centenary celebrations slated for March next year.