theres little room for libraries in ncrs urban spaces but bibliophiles have found their spots in housing societies carving out spaces that have become the centrepiece of small literary ecosystems that boast everything from book clubs to author readings and minilitfests finds joeanna rebello fernandesyears after apartment complexes in ncr have been comfortably settled a new facility is becoming more and more noticeable in the modern gated conveniences unlike the swimming pool and the bridge room this late bloomer did not exist on builders sales brochuresthe society library deprived of the breadth of book shops and libraries to which delhi has access several housing societies in gurugram noida and faridabad have over the past few years sprung little libraries of their own this has often been the lovelabour of a few bibliophilic residents who requisition from builders and rwas tiny rooms often no larger than broom closets and stock them with volumes solicited from the residents themselves this ecosystem is lit the libraries themselves have become the nucleus of a literary ecosystem of book clubs author visits and pocketsize litfests in homes and society clubhouses these are not to be underestimated for each of these collectives catalyses new perspectives and ideas possibly alien to ones own and their discussions bring back that oncethriving culture of communal discourse and theres no better place to reconsider ones place and role in society than well in a society wisteria little free library in prateek wisteria has around 6000 books this housing complex in noidas sector 77 has 1800 families set up in march 2016 by resident pankaj gupta a financial services executive the library sprawls across the lobby of one of its towers pankaj devotes half an hour every day before and after work to bringing order to the shelves which were paid for partly with a few donations and largely with his own money this free library charges nothing and keeps no librarian it is open 247 people can borrow books when they like and return them when theyre done he says unfortunately this open book policy relieved the shelves of nearly 4000 books when initially borrowers turned defaulters now all books are stamped and theres a logbook to make people more accountable pankaj expects those who love books to care enough to return them whos on the shelvesthe collection is miscellaneous with current bestsellers pulp comics classics and even study guides theres jrr tolkien stieg larsson aravind adiga pg wodehouse william dalrymple margaret atwood joseph conrad dario fo noam chomsky shashi tharoor and those are just the first stack i buy a few titles myself and receive some from the folks at books on the delhi metro a group that randomly leaves behind books on the metro for people to read for free and return says pankaj he even received an entire almirah full of books from an 84yearold man living elsewhere word of this library has spread and donations now come from everywhere across the pond the library