New grading criteria for libraries announced

PUNE: Maharashtra minister of higher and technical education, Chandrakant Patil, on Tuesday formally announced the classification criteria for libraries across the state, aimed at promoting modernisation, transparency, and wider access to library services. The new guidelines are expected to significantly benefit students and enhance the quality and availability of books in libraries.

According to Patil, “Libraries will now be classified into four categories – A, B, C, and D – based on the number of books available. An ‘A’ grade library must have more than 15,000 books; a ‘B’ grade library must house more than 5,000 books; a ‘C’ grade library must have at least 1,000 books; and a ‘D’ grade library must contain over 500 books. These revised benchmarks are designed to encourage libraries to expand their collections and improve overall standards.”

The announcement was made on Tuesday during a detailed presentation by the Directorate of Libraries at the state secretariat, with senior officials in attendance, including library director Ashok Gadekar and deputy secretary of the higher education department Ashok Mande.

Patil also emphasised the use of technology to streamline and make library processes more transparent. He directed officials to develop an online system for the classification and reclassification of eligible libraries, which would make the grading process more efficient and accessible.

“Library modernisation and ease-of-access must be prioritised. By adopting digital systems, library services can reach a much wider population,” Patil said, underlining the importance of tech-driven solutions in the public library system.

The meeting also involved an in-depth discussion on library management systems; grant disbursement processes; functioning of divisional and district-level libraries; library committees; and the development of a new state library policy. As part of the new classification system, clear parameters have been set for upgrading a library’s grade. For a ‘D’ grade library to be upgraded to ‘C’ grade, it must hold at least 1,001 books. Similarly, a ‘C’ grade library needs 5,001 books to move to ‘B’ grade whereas a ‘B’ grade library requires 15,001 books to qualify for the ‘A’ grade status.