The reading room

Old Mahabalipuram Road has a close kinship with technology, as its monicker “IT Corridor” implies. The children’s section is a vibrant tapestry of imagination, holding 1,400 books across reading levels, 700 young fiction titles, and 90 young adult fiction books — a total of 2,200 books fuelling young minds. Since its beginning in 2012, Hooked on Books has had a full stack of programmes: in addition to reading challenges, there has been library bingo, storytelling sessions led by different age groups, book-based treasure hunt, bookend-making sessions and themed art workshops. Do not judge a book by its cover Books & Beyond, the library at Jains Pebble Brook in Thoraipakkam, let out its first shrill cry as recently as January 2025. As Praveen Kumar P.S., among the avid book lovers at Jains Pebble Brook who are steering the initiative powered by its Association’s managing committee, explains: “With the Librarika app in place, members can browse the catalogue online, note the book’s accession number, locate it on the rack, check it out, and be on their way — all within a minute.” TCPS in Sholinganallur is a heavyweight among community libraries and tapping into their expertise was a just a request and 6 kilometres away.