Modernization and Development

From 1961 till 2010, the Secretariat Library did not initiate many modernization projects. However, in 2011, the Secretariat Library was upgraded with the installation of a Computer Lab. having LAN & Internet connectivity. Thereafter, the Secretariat Library under took a project for digitization & Lamination with the financial assistance of National Archives of India and the State Government. The project is completed and 3,000 books with 12,500 lakhs pages have successfully been digitized.

Now a new digitization project work including retrieval and portal system is started in the Secretarial Library by C-DAC, Kolkata. 15 million pages contained in 50,000 to 60,000 archival documents from the WBSL are to be digitized.

Users

The reading and borrowing facilities are available to all the employees of Government of West Bengal. Books may be borrowed by submitting the Requisition Form to the Librarian. For others, only reading at the Library reading Hall, is available with prior permission/recommendation from the competent authority. Every user has to submit an Application Form containing the detailed particulars to the Librarian. Research scholars and readers associated with different universities of India and abroad are frequent users of this library. This library owns many valuable books, documents & gazettes which are not available in other libraries of this country, including the National Library. That is why the Secretariat Library often receives requisition of such documents from the higher officials of the State Government & Central Government & Judges Court Library & from the Library of Supreme Court of India.

Library Automation

The West Bengal Secretariat Library automation was partially started in the year 2009 by the technical employees of the library. A large numbers of books have already been computerized by the library by this time. Retro conversion/data entry will be started soon.

This Library is now using Freeze Drier for disinfecting the books of the library without use of chemicals, and disinfects the books within 4 hrs by keeping them at 20 degree temperature. This heritage library having a stock of more than 2 lakh books has a great importance to scholars of home and abroad. West Bengal Secretariat Library is celebrated its 150 years in 2017.