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Article: The story of libraries in India.
- Article from:
- Daedalus
- Article date:
- September 22, 1996
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1996 American Academy of Arts and Sciences. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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One of the oldest civilizations and the seventh largest country of the world, India has a kaleidoscopic variety of people and a rich cultural heritage. It has a population of approximately 800 million, of which only 50 percent could be considered sufficiently literate. This fact has to be kept in mind while discussing the role of libraries in India.
In ancient India, knowledge was disseminated by a teacher to his students; through this practice, knowledge was passed on to the next generation. This continued to an extent even after the practice of writing on stones, leaves, skin, papyrus, and finally paper was made known. Until such time, knowledge was communicated ...