The 56th Capacity Building Programme of the National Mission on Libraries (NML) for public‑library personnel kicked off on Thursday at the Kodandaramaiah Auditorium of Andhra University, organized by the Department of Library and Information Science. The five‑day training, scheduled to conclude on July 27, brings together library professionals from Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Chhattisgarh.

Speaking to The Hindu, Mr. Dipanjan Chatterjee, FA of NML, explained that the mission was launched in 2014 by President Pranab Mukherjee on the recommendation of the National Knowledge Commission. “It has four components: setting up model public libraries across the country, conducting qualitative and quantitative surveys of public libraries, organising capacity‑building programmes for library professionals, and developing the National Virtual Library of India, now known as the Indian Culture Portal,” he said. The first three components are implemented by the Raja Rammohun Roy Library Foundation, while the Culture Portal is managed by IIT Bombay.

Mr. Chatterjee noted that 55 such programmes have been completed to date, training more than 2,500 professionals. This session will focus on KOHA – a free, open‑source library automation software used by institutions such as the National Library in Kolkata – as well as sessions on improving services for Divyangjan, deploying artificial intelligence and ICT tools, and bookbinding, which he described as “a dying profession but remains essential for preserving library resources scientifically.”

In his inaugural address, Vice‑Chancellor G.P. Raja Sekhar observed that while library culture has undergone a global revolution, Indian institutions still lag behind international standards in both technology adoption and infrastructure upkeep. He urged greater efforts to attract students to libraries beyond those preparing for competitive exams, emphasizing, “Library is not just for people who will prepare for competitive exams. Library is for all.”

Regarding funding, Mr. Chatterjee explained that because libraries are a State subject under the Seventh Schedule, central assistance is released only on the recommendation of the State Library Planning Committee in a 75:25 Centre‑State ratio. For Andhra Pradesh, ₹2.23 crore has been sanctioned for the State Central Library at Amaravati and ₹87 lakh for the Sri Gowthami Regional Library at Rajamahendravaram. While the full amount for the latter has been released, the Centre is still awaiting the State’s matching share for the Amaravati library.

Participants will also visit reputed public and university libraries during the programme as part of the training module.