allahabad the era of ereading and learning notwithstanding but books still remain the best friends of humans this was proved when allahabad government public library a perfect place for bibliophiles has witnessed a 37 rise in readers in the past five years figures reveal that over 55100 readers had visited the library in 201314 while the figure was 40200 in 201011 the figures of 201112 and 201213 were 49800 and 51900 respectively from 201011 to 201314 there has been a rise of 37 of readers as many as 1271 people had taken membership in 201314 while the figure in 201011 201112 and 201213 was 521 827 and 944 respectively fairer sex are more interested in reading in comparison to men in the library the library officials said that majority of women readers comprise girls and women from the minority community librarian gopal mohan shukla said in the era of elearning and reading the charm of books had increased manifold this is evident as the number of readers visiting the library is growing books are the only medium to seek complete or detailed knowledge this library has over 125 lakh books including a rich collection of manuscripts and books in different languages like hindi urdu english and bangla there are 40 types of magazines and 28 newspapers books on various subjects such as biotechnology engineering and computer science are also available charm of reading books or newspapers is still alive visitors of all age groups daily come at the library to satiate their literary taste buds situated amidst the lush green environment of the historic chandra shekhar azad garden the library is a treasure trove of knowledge and is the biggest library of the state keeping in tune with modern times the library has added books on newer subjects it is the oldest library in the city and was established in 1864 the building is noted for its remarkable gothic architecture it has a collection of old government publications parliamentary papers and blue books of 19th century old manuscripts and journals the prized possession of the library are the manuscripts of shahnama in persian written by firdausi upanishada translated by dara shikoh son of mughal empreror shajahan and raghuvansh tika written in sanskrit it has 21 arabic manuscripts including harkatullughat complied by habibullah alqtubun nahri a regular visitor said books are the best friend of humans and even in the age of internet you cant access the required notes online books have vast coverage and you can update your knowledge on every subject readers claim in the age of elearning libraries are a major tool to promote culture information literacy and education however challenge before public library is to evolve and adapt to changing demands amid the rise of ereading devices like tablets and smartphones that fuel fears of a bookless society majority of new readers are women kapildixittimesgroupcom