LISNews: Librarian News

Cordelia Jenkins writes: I sauntered out of my apartment at 12 noon a couple of Sundays ago in pursuit of a good book. The temperature, I have since checked, was an ambitious 111 degrees and, as I walked in the direction of the market, I hummed that Noel Coward song about mad dogs and Englishmen. Appropriate – as I’ve noticed that the sight of a foreigner walking for any length of time in Delhi provokes the kind of disdain usually reserved for its street dogs.

I was just getting to the bit about how “Englishmen detest-a siesta” when two thoughts struck me. Surely there are libraries in Delhi? And How much nicer it would be to borrow a book than to buy one! A quick stop in an Internet café confirmed my suspicions. There are indeed public libraries in Delhi. And the nearest one to me was but a stroll away in Andrews Ganj. I strode off confidently towards the flyover and quite soon I found myself outside the gate of a concrete building bearing a blue and white sign, which read Delhi Public Library.

Read more of the author's adventure at the Livemint blog (WSJ).