Mussorrie Library is one of the world’s oldest Library. It was established way back in 1843. According to reliable sources, Mr. Vansihart then the superintendent of Doon laid the foundation of this prestigious library. Although the building is situated once belonged to Mr. Scott & Mr. Pitt who sold it to Major Swetenhan. This library has rich literature in the forms of 14,000 books available on different taste like Fiction, Historical Biography, Autography, Travellers etc. Apart from the books, around 10-12 national daily and magazines are also available for readers. At present, there are 80 members of the library. There are 10 life time members. The famous Writer-cum-Journalist Raskin Bond is also the Life time member of this rich & prestigious library. He is also a regular reader of the library . The annual membership is Rs.250 but presently the membership is closed. As far as the membership of the library is concerned, it is restricted to the resident of Mussorrie only and a person should be above the age of 17 years. It is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. except Sunday which is weekly off.
Our Managing Editor personally visited the library & met with Ms. Rajni Bhatt-the Library In-Charge and wanted to know the reason of less number of members. It is found out that due to internet connection easily available in the house and markets, the library has lost its importance. Yes of course, one most interesting thing is that this library is running on an old and manual pattern. Even this library doesn’t have a telephonic connectivity. Although Ms. Bhatt is M.Sc. & Diploma holder in Computer Science but all the catalogues are maintained manually only. Lack of modern IT communication facilities may be the main hurdle in the progress of the library. Otherwise it may become more popular and demanding library.