BHU central library gets new extension block to house 700 additional seats, over 50,000 books

NEW DELHI: The Sayaji Rao Gaekwad Central Library at Banaras Hindu University (BHU) has been expanded with a new extension building, providing 700 extra student seats. The library has expanded its total capacity to three times what it was in 2021, the official BHU statement said.

The BHU central library’s G+5 block will offer seats for over 700 students. Additionally, more space is available to keep over 50,000 books. The facilities are being developed as a result of vice-chancellor Sudhir Kumar Jain’s focus on student amenities and teaching learning infrastructure at BHU, the official BHU statement adds.

The library will be open overnight from 8 am to 5 am the next day as compared to 15 hours a day 3 years back, the official BHU statement said.

According to the official BHU statement, the vice chancellor visited the newly constructed library and inspected the arrangements made for student seating and book stacks. He also instructed the library administration to optimize space and facility to ensure that as many students as possible benefit from the library.

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BHU: Sayaji Rao Gaekwad Central Library

Librarian DK Singh at BHU informed that the limited seating capacity of the library has been a challenge for many years, but under the leadership of vice-chancellor Sudhir Kumar Jain, the library has seen a major uplift in the past three years.

The library can now accommodate nearly 2500 students in comparison to 850 students in the year 2021.

“Sayaji Rao Gaekwad Library accommodates student and faculty footfall of over 6,000 every day and houses more than 15 lakh books, 90,000 e-books, and over 17,000 journals,” the official BHU statement adds.

The implementation of new library facilities is benefitting the university community at large and especially the students from underprivileged backgrounds. BHU has taken various measures to make the library more accessible and student-friendly. Also, the annual allocation to the library has seen a significant increase, the official BHU statement added.