Imphal, July 31, 2026: A five-day Capacity Building Programme on the National Mission on Libraries for Public Library Personnel was inaugurated today at the Court Hall, Manipur University. The programme is being organised by the Department of Library and Information Science, Manipur University, and sponsored by National Mission on Libraries, Raja Ram Mohan Roy Library Foundation, Ministry of Culture, Government of India.
Prof. Sumitra Phanjoubam, Vice Chancellor in charge, Manipur University, attended the inaugural function as Chief Guest. Dipanjan Chatterjee, FA, National Mission on Libraries, Ministry of Culture, Government of India, attended as Special Guest. Prof. Ch. Ibohal Singh, Head, Department of Library and Information Science, Manipur University, presided over the function, while L. Pramod Singh, Chief Librarian, State Central Library, Imphal, attended as Guest of Honour.
Speaking on the occasion, Prof. Sumitra Phanjoubam said libraries remain sacred spaces and gateways to knowledge, education, research and lifelong learning. She said the role of libraries has expanded beyond preserving books and maintaining collections, especially in the present digital age.
She stressed that modern libraries require competent and committed professionals who can motivate readers, manage information effectively and provide user centric services. She said capacity building is essential to equip library personnel with updated knowledge, digital competencies and emerging technological skills.
Dipanjan Chatterjee said the National Mission on Libraries was established in 2012 and implemented from 2014 under the recommendation of the National Knowledge Commission. He said the mission focuses on modern public libraries, the Indian Culture Portal, survey of public libraries and capacity building of library professionals.
He informed that the programme at Manipur University is the 57th capacity building training programme under the National Mission on Libraries. More than 2,500 public library professionals have been trained across the country through similar programmes.
The five-day training will cover important contemporary areas including library automation through KOHA, use of ICT tools, services for Divyangjan users, creation of public library websites through Google Sites and use of social media for promoting public library services.
Dipanjan Chatterjee also stated that financial assistance of Rs 2.23 crore has been provided to the State Central Library, Imphal, and Rs 87 lakh to District Library, Senapati, under the model library component of the mission.
In his presidential address, Prof. Ch. Ibohal Singh said Manipur University is hosting the programme for the first time. He said Manipur was the sixth state in India to have Public Library Legislation, but the Act has not been implemented in its true spirit for more than three decades. He urged participants, especially those from NGO run libraries, to apply the knowledge gained from the training to improve library services.
L. Pramod Singh traced the history of the public library movement in Manipur from the early 1900s and said the state presently has a network of government public libraries and 101 NGO run public libraries.
The five-day training event will be participated by students, resource persons, librarians and stakeholders from Manipur and Arunachal Pradesh. The programme concluded with a call to strengthen public libraries as inclusive knowledge institutions serving citizens irrespective of age, profession, gender or economic background.
