Central Secretariat Library (CSL)
Why in News?
The Central Secretariat Library (CSL) is in the news because the Supreme Court has taken suo motu cognisance of the uncertainty over its proposed relocation from Shastri Bhawan, which is scheduled for demolition under the Central Vista redevelopment project.
Origin and History
- Colonial Genesis: It was established in 1891 as the Imperial Secretariat Library in Calcutta (now Kolkata).
- Capital Shifts: Following King George V's 1911 announcement to shift British India's capital to Delhi, the library moved to the Old Secretariat Building in Civil Lines in 1912. It later moved to the North Block in the 1930s.
- Current Base: It has been housed in the G-Wing of Shastri Bhawan, New Delhi, since 1969.
- Post-Independence: The institution was formally renamed the Central Secretariat Library in 1948.
Scale and Administration
- Rank by Size: It is the second largest Central Government library in India, right after the National Library in Kolkata.
- Administrative Ministry: It is funded and entirely administered by the Ministry of Culture, Government of India.
- Branches: Besides the main facility, it operates a dedicated Hindi regional languages wing (Tulsi Sadan Library) and a text book library branch located at R.K. Puram, New Delhi.
Composition of Collections
- Total Volume: The library houses over 8.5 lakh (850,000) print and non-print volumes, including official records, gazettes, and research papers.
- Historical and Rare Books: It guards a dedicated section of 6,500 rare documents. Its oldest book is a compilation of a French traveller's writings dating back to 1702.
- Official Documents: It hosts an Indian Official Document Division (80,000 bound volumes), a Foreign Official Document Division (60,000 documents), a Serials Division (52 newspapers, 226 periodicals), and a microfilm unit.
Primary Purpose and Utility
- Government Repository: CSL functions as the central "working archive" or record room of the Indian state, storing vital institutional memory and past government decisions.
- Core Beneficiaries: While it primarily satisfies the internal research and information needs of all Union ministries and departments, its resources are also heavily utilized by research scholars and students preparing for competitive exams.
