Chennai’s green library doing yeoman service to society

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Chennai’s first green library has come up on the CPR Foundation premises with more than 6,000 books and journals on environment.

The library has books on topics such as air pollution, biodiversity, environment education and wildlife.
CPR foundation director Nanditha Krishna told Deccan Chronicle that the library has more than 400 international documentaries on environmental issues.

“We want the younger generation to learn about green issues across the globe. This library is open to the public. We want to promote reading on environmental problems and solutions through this library,” she said.

The library was opened in the first week of March and six students have taken membership so far. Researchers from Kerala and from abroad visit the library.

Government school headmistress Vijayalakshmi, who visited the library last week, said she took notes on water pollution.

“I want to teach children about water pollution. Many of them do not have access to safe drinking water. All the students have to be educated about protecting the environment and taking safety measures to avoid water-borne diseases. This library helped me a lot,” she said.

Librarian S.P. Vijayakumari explained that while the annual membership for researchers and the public is Rs 50, it is Rs 20 for students.

“We have books on more than 20 different titles. Apart from serious research projects, we have books for school students also. There are also popular journals like Current Science, Down to Earth and Traditional Knowledge,” she said.

Vijayakumari added that many 20-year-old environment-related books are preserved in the library. The library also has photocopier facility. For further details contact 044-24346526/24337023.