LIBRARY

The Rabindra Bharati University Library was started along with the establishment of the University in 1962 in order to cater to the information needs of the faculty, research scholars, students, officers and non-teaching staff. Since then, the University library has gone from strength to strength to live up to the expectations of its immediate clientele.

In the beginning, the library was located at Maharshi Bhavan, then at Ram Bhavan. Administrative building in Jorasanko Campus and then shifted to Ramanuj Block, Marakat Kunj and then finally now located in the Kendriya Granthagar Bhavan since the month of July 2001.

The University is proud of its libraries which amount to 21 in number. Apart from the large Central Library, (approximately total area 13,000 square feet) and the one at Jorasanko Campus, the University has 17 Departmental Libraries under the faculty of Arts, Fine Arts and Visual Arts. There are also libraries attached with Centre / School of Study. The facilities of the Central Library are used by all categories of member of both the campus.

Library Hours : The library hours of Central library are as follows –

Monday to Friday : 10.15 a.m. to 6.30 p.m.
Saturday               : 10.15 a.m. to 5.45 p.m.

The Central library remains closed on Sunday and other University holidays.

Membership : The membership of this library is open to teachers, students, research scholars, officers and the non-teaching employees of the University. The reading facilities are provided to outside scholars engaged in serious reading and research.

Borrowing privileges of the users : All categories of members except the short term users (on a special permission) are entitled to borrow books from the Central Library.

All students are to pay overdue charges for late return of books.

Collections : The total number of holding in the Central Library and Jorasanko Campus library have now gone up to 92,500 as on 4.7.2001.

There are about 9000 back volumes of journal, 500 theses etc.

Reference Book : There is a collection of conventional reference books like dictionary, encyclopedia, gazette, hand book, manual, abstract, index, directory, year book census, Govt. publication, etc. for ready reference and general information. Students are advised to consult the reference collections in the reference section which is on the ground floor.

Current Journals : The University library subscribes to around 304 both Indian and Foreign current journals which are displayed at periodical section which is on the 2nd floor. Loose or bound issues are consulted within the library.

Gift Collection : The gift collections contain approximately 10,500 rare materials, which are extremely valuable for research.

1. Sajanikanta Das
2. Subimal Roy
3. K.N. Tagore
4. Kalidas Nag
5. Books donated by Bangladesh High Commission

Addition of books to the University Central Library :

The Central Library has been taking the appropriate steps to computerize the Library’s House Keeping Operations. The work related to retrospective conversion of library collections is in progress. The retrospective conversion is the conversion of the library catalogue from manual to machine readable form according to policies and standards prescribed by the UGC, INFLIBNET. LAN connection has already been established. The Central Library has so far created :

Access to this catalogue, the Internet sources are available. This data is sent to INFLIBNET from time to time which is added to their Union Catalogue. This catalogue is available at http://www.inflibnet.ac.in.

1. Access to current issues and back volumes of journals
2. Reference and Information service
3. Access to database
4. Inter-library loan
5. Photocopying service
6. Display of new arrivals

User education programmes in different phases for library users are organized periodically to get them acquainted with the library collection and technology used to retrieve information and the various services available.