Patna: The librarianship workshop held on Tuesday at Khuda Baksh Library here drew participants from numerous universities across the country. The workshop was attended by more than 100 scholars studying library science from the Maulana Mazharul Haque Arabic and Persian University, Patna University, Asian International University Manipur, and Eklavya University, Bhopal.
For many years, the Khuda Bakhsh Library has been working to share knowledge. It functions as both a library and a research centre where ongoing research and development are being done. Along with this, the library has continued to mentor and train the up-and-coming, new generation of librarians so that library science students from other colleges can also learn about the real-world procedures for working in a library. Several dozen students have received this training from the library. For roughly thirty students, the library conducted workshops on libraries, their functions, book preservation, and paper making.
In her speech on this occasion, Dr Shaista Bedar, Director of Khuda Bakhsh Library, said that librarianship is a pious vocation that may change society into a pleasant place and awaken philanthropy and mental peace. In the workshop, it was also discussed how vital it is to choose and acquire quality books on a variety of topics, but that even more crucial is to carefully preserve the books once they have been purchased.
These students were provided information about the various departments of the library, such as manuscripts, publications, journals, audio, video, digitization, the publications division, cataloguing, reference service, and the loan section. Library science students were explained that this knowledge is important because, through it, comes discipline, which makes our lives smooth. The education you get, whether it is formal or informal, will be beneficial only if you make it a part of your practical life. The library also teaches us that just as books of different religions and different literature stay in one place and never collide with each other, we should live in a society where no one hurts anyone. Libraries are not just places to collect books; they are classrooms of society, where lessons of humanity are taught, communal harmony is taught, respect for each other is taught, and new generations are taught. Let’s nurture the mindset.
Khuda Baksh Library’s motto is “Book is Best Friend, Companion.” Therefore, our primary responsibility is to promote libraries and pay special attention to the preservation of the books stored in them and the dissemination of the knowledge preserved in them.
Prof. Muhammad Sharif, Principal Law College, and Dr. Umar Ashraf, Department of History, Jamia Millia, Delhi, also participated in the workshop and expressed their views on the importance and usefulness of the library to the students. Library staff Dr. Syed Masood Hasan, Dr Nooruddin, and Afroz Ahmed also shed light on various aspects of the conservation topic and participated in the discussions of the programme.
Announcing the conclusion of this training programme, the director said that there is a need to put into practise the things mentioned in this training programme. “Because any library can be successful in its purpose only when we connect it with society. One of the important functions of the library is to build a happy society. If we make the principles mentioned here a part of our practical lives, then success will come automatically,” she said.
