Posh interiors, scores of books neatly stacked in rows and a spic and span space -- State Central Library, established in 1956, is one the most iconic and oldest addresses in Kolkata. Initially set up at Emerald Bower on BT Road, it subsequently shifted to its current location in Ultadanga in 1996.
The six-storied building is equipped with over gazillion books. On the ground floor, there's a journal section, a cyber unit, a children's library and Braille & Talking Book (Digital) Section for the visually impaired, which is managed by the NGO Society for the Visually Handicapped (SVH).
There's a reading room on the second floor and you can lend books at the massive lending room on the third floor. There's a spacious auditorium on the fourth floor attached to a mini conference room. We were quite bemused by its rich collection -- from academic books in all possible fields to biographies, journals, newspapers, career guidance and even old manuscripts. We also loved is their vast collection of regional literature and for scholars there's a digital archive of rare books.
We'd definitely recommend visiting this library.
