British Council Library reopens its doors in Kolkata

The British Council Library in Kolkata has reopened its doors in Kolkata - a piece of news that has come as a relief to all its members.

Here, readers can access a range of educational and entertainment resources, from books and e-books, novels, newspapers, magazines, academic journals, and research publications to self-access training materials, graphic novels, films, music concerts, audiobooks and much more.

As per Sumana Ghosh, a resident of Kolkata and member of British Council Library, from the time the library has reopened in Kolkata, she has been a regular visitor every other week. Her bond with books began when she started to read as a child. “Over the years, books opened up doors to a world full of excitement, companionship, adventure, and evolved steadily to inspire a myriad of emotions,” she said. The British Council has been instrumental in strengthening this bond, ever since she walked through its gates almost 25 years ago. This year, returning to the library and going back to the familiar aisles, browsing and selecting her books, reminded me that some things stay the same even if the world around us has changed in ways we do not recognise.

The British Council Library was established in 1950 and it shelves a physical collection of 26,459 books, magazines and DVD films.

Many booklovers have grown to love the British Council’s Digital library has also gained the attention of the readers and has become a one-stop solution for high-quality content. Kolkata, in fact, is one of the top four cities with the highest number of Digital Library memberships.

Members can access over 3,000 magazines and 8,000 e-newspapers from 100 countries. Users can read and download from over 2,000 plus journals from JSTOR, 15,000 plus from ProQuest Central and access 3,00,000 plus resources on EBSCO.

According to Debanjan Chakrabarti, director - east and northeast India, British Council, members have been missing the experience of being in a physical library and the tactile experience of flipping through the pages of their favorite books. In line with the state government's regulations, the libraries have reopened, while keeping the safety of our members and staff while implementing strict health and safety protocols. At the same time, the Digital Library memberships continue to be very popular as well. The library has books, resources, content and interesting workshops on offer for members of all age groups and interests, making it a one-stop shop for families, students and professionals in the city. It is often the first port of call for those planning to study in the UK as well.