188 Year Old Library Opens Braille Wing

The Kerala State Central Library situated in the heart of Thiruvananthapuram is 188 years old and is one of the oldest libraries in the country. Now, the authorities have planned to make it differently abled friendly and plans to open an exclusive Braille wing in the new building adjacent to the main library building. State librarian P K Sobhana said that a room in the ground floor of the new three-storey building will be dedicated to the visually challenged. They will be provided with all modern amenities for their comfort. She also stated that they would join hands with various outfits and organizations including Dehradun-based National Institute for the Visually Handicapped and Kerala Blind Association for the initiative. The new wing will not only have books in Braille format but also have an impressive collection of talking and audiobooks in various languages including English and Hindi besides Malayalam. Shobana said that before giving a final shape to the plan, she would also visit the National Association for the Blind in New Delhi as it offers advanced facilities to the visually challenged visitors. The Central Library is an integral part of the state’s cultural landscape and houses over five lakh titles and subscribes 300 periodicals. The heritage structure has a wide collection of world classics and continental literature. Established in the year 1829, it has the finest collections of rare titles starting from 16th century,