India

Libraries Without Borders collected and dispatched 2000 French- and English-language books (theater collections and children’s literature) to develop the Heritage Library of Gokarna, created in 1948.

Our actions

Since 2007, Libraries Without Borders has been collecting books from institutions, publishers and individuals in France. Sorted and referenced by the team and volunteers at our collection center in Épône, they feed our projects and libraries around the world, from refugee camps in Burundi to rural areas in France. In 13 years, 380,000 books have been sent to 30 countries. More than 30,000 books are referenced in our online catalog, available to LWB’s partner libraries and associations. Others are resold on the second-hand market or during monthly solidarity auctions and help finance our actions.

Gokarna: supporting the preservation of the “Study Circle” heritage library and the creation of a fanco-indian cultural center.

In 2010, Libraries Without Borders helped the Pandrata Circle association open the new heritage library of the Study Circle in Gokarna, Southern India.

 

The Study Circle Heritage Library, established in 1948, includes an impressive collection of antique lithographic books dating from the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Study texts dating back almost two centuries and books engraved on wooden plates, which are even older, are also part of the collection. In total, the collection includes almost 70,000 books in 38 languages, including rare and deteriorating books that have fallen victim to suboptimal storage conditions. 

Building a new place for reading, cultural activities, and heritage preservation was an opportunity not only to give a new life to these books, through their conservation and the enhancement of their contents, but also to create the only library in the village.

LWB supported the Pandrata Circle association in setting up this library and training its staff. LBW collected and sent a collection of 2,000 books in French and English – mostly theater and children’s books – in order to revitalize the collection. The cultural center’s staff was also trained in library management, operations, and document conservation.

Partners

The Pandrata Circle Association

Alliance Française in Bangalore