Kerala University Library

The Kerala University Library (KUL), established in 1942, is the oldest and biggest university library in Kerala and is situated adjacent to the University Senate Hall campus in the Thiruvananthapuram city.  It stocks over 3,50,000 books (growing at 5000 titles annually) and subscribes to nearly 500 journals/ periodicals/ magazines. It also offers digital information services such as UGC Infonet. Among its special collections, the Kerala Studies is a unique one.  The special collections also include Women’s Studies, Government Publications, General Biographies, UN and World Bank Publications, bound volumes of newspapers and journals and rare books.  It is the only library in Kerala which serves as a depository of UN and World Bank publications. The library is currently in the process of digitizing its rare collections.

The University in Travancore, founded in 1937 had at its disposal the Trivandrum Public Library until a separate library was started in the present Arts College building. This was soon shifted to the eastern side of the University College (which was then under direct control of the University), in 1946.  The present building was constructed with UGC assistance of 10 lakhs and started functioning in September 1962. Prof.  K. A. Isaac, a student of Prof. S. R. Ranganathan, was appointed as the Full time librarian in 1959.  He continued to lead the library until 1980 when Sri K.C. John succeeded him.  Prof Ranganathan’s influence on the Kerala University Library is still extant in the form of usage of colon system of cataloging devised by him.

The Kerala University Library is complemented with a number of specialised Department Libraries and also Campus Library at Karyavattom and Study Centre Libraries at Alappuzha, Kollam and Pandalam.  The University Institutes of Technology (UITs), University Teacher Education Centres (UTECs), and University College of Engineering (UCE) also have specialized libraries.