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our first day at college we were given a very helpful
tip by a professor. He said that it is almost mandatory
that we should become regular users of the services of
various libraries, of our own department, university and
even of those beyond. It was also expected that most
would become members of the British Council Library (BCL),
the National Library and the Ram Krishna Mission Library
at Golpark. Many did. Thus the first few months at the
university were spent in frenetic enquiries and
procedures of getting admitted to the libraries. The
procedure of getting the library issue cards at our
unviersity was even more irksome, what with bringing so
many pictures, filling so many forms and what not. But
at last everything was done, and we settled down to
borrowing books.
This library experience
was quite novel. Up until now visits to the library were
limited to borrow the Jeffery Archer novel, but now you
had to look up ten reference books for a single text.
And in those first few months when we found ourselves
such glorious ignoramuses, tortured with a increasing
inferiority complex, we were compelled with a compulsive
desire to salvage that last iota of intellectual pride
to scour the library cupboards in search of elusive
knowledge. Dozens of new terms came up- Greek, Latin,
Saxon and last of all, English- which took us in
surprise. We sat dumb through the classes, wondering how
great the professors were. It was only the library which
gave us promise. It is another, and later matter, that
most of the books that we found were written for PhD
students. We had heard that the book is man's best and
most constant friend. Since the professor couldn't be
our best friends (See The faculty at Jadavpur- the shortcomings),
we sought to make the books our friends. And library was
our friend's home.
The students in the
university can avail the services of two libraries and
regular members- the Central Library (CL) and the
Departmental Library (DL). The CL, as the name implies,
is one big library catering to the whole university,
whereas the DL, which are as numerous as are
departments, caters to the specialist needs of each
department. Some arrangements can be made whereby a
student of one department can avail the services of the
DL of another department- the easiest way being to
borrow a book with the card of a friend from the
intended department. Thus, we have lots and lots of
books, and if reports are to be believed, then the CL is
one of the best university libraries in India.
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