With a little nudge from technology, a 58-year-old library network in the Capital — the Delhi Public Library (DPL) — has finally heard the footfalls.

The sad trend of declining memberships in libraries has been reversed in this particular chain that has seen a steady rise in readers in the last three years. In 2006-07, the total membership was 40,652; in 2007-08 42,306 and the membership till June this year is 53,363.

All this has been possible, DPL chairman at the SP Mukherjee Marg branch, Banwari Lal said because of the free Internet and online cataloguing the library has introduced. It now also lends readers free DVDs and CDs.

The chain is an autonomous organisation under the Central government’s Ministry of Culture. It presently has a Central Library at SP Mukherjee Marg, a zonal library at Sarojini Nagar and three branches at Patel Nagar, Karol Bagh and Shahadara.

Library officials would also like to believe that a revamp of the children’s section at the Central Library and also at the Patel Nagar branch has interested readers. An official said: “A whole new collection of books, CDs, DVDs, children’s games and even furniture have been added in these two branches.” The Central library also has an audio-visual room where visitors can watch movies, news and other educational DVDs.

DPL member Jameel Muhammad Khan, who is 70, has been frequenting the library for the last 50 years. Khan said: “I have seen the library change over the years. It is more organised and clean now. There are more books as well.”

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