CHAPTER – V

RAJA RAM MOHAN ROY LIBRARY FOUNDATION (RRLF)

The year 1972 was an important year in the library movement history of the country.
The year was celebrated as silver Jubilee of its independence. This year was also
observed as the International Book year with the motto of “Books for all”
emphasizing on encouraging reading habits among the people for their livelihood.
Similarly, it was a bicentennial Birth Anniversary of great social reformer of Indian
Raja Ram Mohan Roy emphasized the requirement of higher education for the
progress of the country. In this year, Raja Ram Mohan Roy foundation was
established on 20th May 1972 by the Indian Government to motivate public library
and information services and systems and to boost movement of public libraries in the
nation.

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RRRLF is an independent body in the centre created and fully funded by the Cultural
Ministry, Indian Government . Raja Rammohan Roy Library Foundation is listed
under the Societies Registration Act of 1961 of West Bengal. As a cental office of the
Indian Government for public library systems and services and boost movement of
public libraries in India to be on par with the objectives as incorporated in its
Association Memorandum.

The Foundation is the highest policy-making body of RRRLF. Government of India

appoints 22 members chosen from the eminent administrators, librarians , and senior
officials educationists. The Department of Culture Ministry of Government or his
candidate is the Chairperson of the foundation. Director General is the administrative
head and ex-officio Member-Secretary of RRLF. The Foundation works for every
State and U.T. through a system known as Library Committee of State or State
Library Committee (SLC).

The Foundation works hand in hand with association and active cooperation between
State Governments and Union Territories. Departments through State Library
Planning Committee (SLPC/SLC) system are setup in every State at the instance of
the Foundation. A State Government or U.T. is required to provide a certain amount
of funds fixed by the Foundation to participate in Foundation's programmes.

From 2005-06, the Foundation also took efforts to develop the (DYRC) i.e. District
Youth Resource Centre in association with Nehru Yuvak Kendra Sangathan, an
independent institution which works under the jurisdiction of Sports & Youth Affairs
Ministry.
Its Head Quarter is located at Kolkatta. The Assistant Field Officers of The Zonal
Offices are keeping vigilance on the effect of help rendered by the foundation for
increasing activities in the following zones such as:
East Zonal Office at Kolkatta, Northern Office at New Delhi, South Zone Office at
Chennai and Western Zone Office at Mumbai.

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 ORGANISATIONAL CHART
Chairman

Director

Deputy Director System Manager Deputy Director

Imp. Insp. & Mont. Admin. & Accounts

Assistant Director Assistant Director

FO FO FO FO Section Statistical Program Section Accounts

NZ SZ EZ WZ Officer Officer -mer Officer Officer

Inspection & Imple Secretariat Librar Co Ad Accounts

Monitoring ment & y& mpu min
Statistics
ation Resea ter istr
rch atio

OBJECTIVE OF RRRLF
The foundation is a nodal agency for the promotion of the library services of public
libraries of the country. To promote and support public library movement in the
country is the main aim of the foundation. To achieve this, the reading habits of the
people are encouraged. For this adequate library services are provided, and this
objective can be achieved in the country with positive co-operation of Union
Territories and state government, voluntary organization working in the field of
library services, adult education and cultural activities, and etc..

The main objectives are as follows:

• To initiate a policy at national level and to create a library system at
national level.
• Offering technical support and financial assistance in the libraries.

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 To have a stable growth in library and information centers throughout the
country.
• To work as a nodal agency for clearing of ideas and knowledge on library
growth in India and abroad.
• To advocate research in the field of library development.
• To inform the right people at the right time in the government in detail
about the library development.
• To help adopting library legislation in the country.
• To extend financial support to the organizations at regional and national
level to help them in the promotion of library development.

Programme of Assistance:
RRLF boost public library services through funding assistant to the public libraries as
per different scheme. The are two schemes of assistance :
1. Matching Scheme
2. Non Matching Scheme

Matching Scheme:
Under this scheme help is provided from the sources shared on relevant grant basis
with the states and/or Union Territories Administration on the basis of developed state
with the ratio of 50:50, underdeveloped and lagging states with the ratio of 60:40, and
States of North-Eastern are have the ratio of 90:10,. From 2005 it was implemented.

The relevant help accordingly is provided to gain following objectives.

For developing adequate collection of books and reading materials.
For developing book deposit centers in rural areas and also initiates mobile library
services.
For organizing book exhibitions, seminars, training courses and workshops .
For storage , display of books. Maintaining room furniture in the reading areas.
For expanding area of small libraries which are below district level libraries.
For acquiring TV cum-VCP sets for educational purposes and computers for library
application for the libraries which are below state central library.
For creating network of public libraries.

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Statement of Grants released under the above mentioned plan of financial support to
public libraries to acquire TV including VCP for academic purpose and computer for
use in library in their routine work during the year 2012-13.

Sr. No. Name of the State No of Libraries Amount

/UT (Rs.)
1 ASSAM 07 52,55,976.00

2 GUJARAT 10 15,71,241.00

3 TRIPURA 01 3,266.00

4 UTTAR 75 1,62,68,742.00
PRADESH
5 MANIPUR 1 9,38,995.00

6 MAHARASHTRA 105 50,56,065.00

7 WEST BENGAL 225 32384074.00

TOTAL 424 61478359.00

Scheme for Non Matching:

RRRLF gives full support under this scheme from its own sources to achieve
following objectives.
Support for developing adequate collection of books and other materials through
selection from the centre.
Support to voluntary institutions which provide public library and information
services. .
Support is given to libraries of children or children’s department of general public
library which also includes senior citizen section and women section.
Support is provided to public libraries for celebrating fifty years, hundred years, or
one twenty five years of establishment.
Support for , gathering and agglomeration of library statistics through official or non
official agencies.
Support to centrally Supported libraries.
Support for organizing seminars, conferences by national level library organizations.

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Statement of Grant released under the Non-matching Scheme of Support to the Public
Libraries towards Celebration of 50 or 60 or 75 or100 or 125 and 150 Years and like
during the year 2012-13.

Sr. No. Name of the State No of Libraries Amount

(Rs.)
1 KERALA 04 3,48,971.0000

2 MAHARASHTRA 03 81,075.00

3 TAMIL NADU 01 5,75,313.00

4 ANDHRA PRADESH 01 2,00,000.00,

5 WEST BENGAL 02 4,28,055.00

TOTAL 09 16,33,414.00

RRRLF provide financial assistance to NGO’s who are engaged in providing Public
Library services. Grant is also provided to professional library organization for
conducting seminars and conferences.

Statement of Assistance given for Organizing of Conferences or Seminars by

Professional Bodies, Local Bodies & NGO’s who are involved in Public Library
Development or are supporting Library Movement and Department of University
Library Science during the year 2012-13.

Sr. Name and Address of the Organization / Library Amount

No. (Rs.)
Andhra Pradesh

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 1 Prof Kaula Endowment for Library and Information Science 75000.00
4-54-49, Ithanagaram, Tenali-522201, Andhra Pradesh
(Organization of a Seminar)
Karnataka

2 Indian Statistical Institute, Bangalore, Karnataka 2,00,000.00

(Organization and International Conference of Trends in
Knowledge and Information Dynamics)
Delhi

3 DELNET, JNU Campus, Nelson Mandela Road, Vasant 1,00,000.00

Kunj, New Delhi -110070 (Organization 15th National
Convention on Knowledge, Library and Information
Networking (NACLIN 2012))
Punjab

4 Punjab Library Association 1,00,000.00

C/o Dept of Library and Information Science, Arts
Block No. 1, 1st floor, P. O. Punjabi University, Patiyala,
Punjab – 147002 ( Organization of National Seminar on
Public Libraries as Community Information Centers and
Local Gateways to World’s Knowledge and Information)
Pondicherry

5 Organizing Secretary, ICEP 2012, Pondicherry University R. 1,00,000.00

V. Nagar, Kalapet, Punucherry-605014 (Organization of an
International Conference on Electronic Publications 2012)
West Bengal

6 Indian Association of Special Libraries & Information 60,000.00

Centers (IASLIC)
P-291, C.I.T.Scheme, No. VI-M, Kankurgachi, Kolkata-
700054
(Organization of a Seminar)

Grant for establishing and maintaining Children’s corner and physically handicap
corner is needed for public libraries as these are special category readers, who require

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some special facilities for taking advantage of the library collection. RRRLF provide
grant for the above mentioned categories of readers.

Promotion of District Youth Resource Centers:

These are developed in coordination with the decision of interim Steering Committee
of Ministers created for the youth development as their agenda, which includes the
people from Sports and Youth Affairs Ministry, Cultural Ministry with Nehru Yuvak
Kendra Sanghatna and Raja Rammohun Roy Library Foundation

The Assistance is provided for the following purposes:

For print and non print material collection development.
For acquiring library furniture and storage fixture for storing books and other
material.
For constructing library building.
For computers with accessories acquisition.

PR Activities:
For better development of library and information services the foundation has been
proactive to take up a number of promotional activities.
Theses are inter related and associated with various international and national level
library related professional bodies such as ILA, IFLA, IASLIC and a number of state
level library association. Some of activities for promotion are as follows:
The foundation conducts conferences and seminars on different matters relevant to the
public libraries development in the country.
The foundation always plays a vital role in the drafting of NAPLIS-National Policy
on Library and Information System and also issue set of instructions on public library
systems and services.
“Raja Rammohan Roy Library Foundation Fellowship” is instituted for profound men
and women in the period of library and information services who have offered
significant contribution to the Library and Information movement in the country
through proactive participation, intellectual readership or who are sincerely working
towards the upliftment of the reading habit spirit among the people. The fellowship is
rewarded in cash and a plaque with citation detailing their services rendered by the
fellow in the country.

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The foundation has instituted. “RRRLF Best Library Award” the award includes a
citations and a cash perk of 1 lakh Rupees for the best state central library in India.
For the best district library the foundation has instituted “RRRLF Best District
Library award, which includes citation and cash incentive of Rs 50000/-
For each state of the country the foundation has instituted “RRRLF Best Rural
Library award.
“Raja Mohan Roy Award” was catalyzed yearly for the best-contributed article
incorporating the area of development of Public Library and Information Systems and
Services or suggesting techniques for the propagation of reading habits .

PUBLICATIONS:
The foundation has been bringing out many useful materials for the benefit and
growth of public library services in the country.
Some of its signature publications are:
Raja Rammohun Roy and the New Learning edited by B.P. Barua
Directory of Indian Public Libraries edited by B P Barua
Granthana-Indian Journal of Library Studies
Indian Libraries; Trends and Perspectives edited by K.M. George
RRRLF Newsletter comes out bimonthly
Raja Rammohun Roy Library Foundation, Annual Report
Books for the Millions at their Doorsteps : Information Manual.
Modernization Programme:
For the promotion of library services the RRRLF foundation is exploring new
technologies of information. It has built up a data bank of the public libraries of the
country. The foundation is taking efforts to computerize all the state libraries of India.
The computers are provided to the state and district libraries to create computerize
data of their collection and to make it available to other libraries in the respective state
and district.

Achievement:

State Library Committee

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RRRLF (RRRLF; 1997; 10-11) gives relevant as well as non-matching help to
support and boost public library and information services in the States and Union
Territories as per the rules and regulations. Every State and Union Territory
Administration are requested to create State Library Committee (SLC) containing the
following members and who will meet at least twice a year:
The Chairman will act as Secretary or Director or person selected by the Department
to guide library and information services
If the Chairman is not their than The Secretary will act as Director or Officer-in-
Charge of the Department,
Director of the Foundation or his representative should be their
The Chairman of the Foundation nominated;
President or Secretary of the Library Association of the State.
An Education Department representative , if library service comes under a separate
department;
An educationist or an author or an official from the state level group who are
connected with the production to be nominated by the State Government; and

State Central Library Librarian or the State Government specified public library shall
be the Convener of the State Library Committee. Where this is not feasible, the State
Government will specify to be suitable official looking after library service as the
Convener.

The State Library Committee functions shall be:

to draft yearly plan for library and information services in the State with special
reference to the support programs given by the Foundation; so as to give proper grant
of State Government/Union Territory Administration support and availing of the
relevant grant from RRRLF; to identify books as per the need of the society and in
confidence with the prescribed instructions by RRRLF; to scrutinize and suggest
proposals for other plans of support to RRLF; to make sure proper use of support by
RRRLF; and to carry out any other activity related to the growth of library and
information centers in the State or Union Territory.

Foundation’s support is available for all kinds of public libraries, viz., State Central
Library, District Central Libraries, Regional/Divisional Libraries, Branch Libraries,
Sub divisional Libraries, Town Libraries, Taluka Libraries, Tehsil Libraries, Block

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Libraries, Municipal Libraries, Panchayat Libraries, Rural Libraries, etc. directly
managed or supported or recognized by the State Government. State Library
Committee will decide the amount and sections of Library and Information Centres
for support under different plans and the total combined list of books for different
types of libraries. However, Textbooks, expensive books, and foreign Publications be
selected carefully with scrutiny and analysis. Support is also given to both Non-
Government and government libraries for building a new building or expansion of the
already existing structure. District Level Library is given a maximum sum of Rs. 10
lakhs and Rs. 8 lakhs for Sub. Division/Town Level Library once in ten years. For
other libraries Rs. 4 lakh can be given for construction of library structure.
During last 41 years, RRRLF has provided assistance to more than 32000 libraries at
different level in the country.

State Central Libraries 28

Divisional & District Libraries 451
Sub- District Level Libraries 31155
NYK 594
Jawahar Bal Bhawans 49
Others 128
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Total 32405
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