Colombo Public Library

{{short description|Public library in Sri Lanka}} {{Infobox library | name = Colombo Public Library | name_en =  | logo = | logo_size = 100px | logo_alt = Colombo Municipal Council Logo | image = Colombo Public Library front view.jpg | caption = Colombo Public Library main entrance | country = Sri Lanka | type = Public library | established = {{Start date and age|1925|08|10|df=y}}<ref name=official>{{cite web|title=Colombo Public Library|url=http://www.colombo.mc.gov.lk/public-library.php/|accessdate=4 December 2015}}</ref> | location = 15, Sir Marcus Fernando Mawatha, Colombo 7 | coordinates = {{Coord|6.912784759371049|79.85926055486318}} | num_branches = 13<ref name=cmc>{{cite web|title=Public Library Department|url=http://www.cmc.lk/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=81&Itemid=62|accessdate=4 December 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151208121627/http://www.cmc.lk/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=81&Itemid=62|archive-date=8 December 2015|url-status=dead}}</ref> | collection_size = ~ 1 million Books, 57 Newspapers & 111 periodical titles<ref name=cmc /> | members = 2 million (2019) | budget = {{Increase}} Rs 50 million (2020) | director = Waruni Gagabadaarachchi | num_employees = 52 (2020) | website = {{URL|http://www.colombo.mc.gov.lk/public-library.php }} | parent_organization = Colombo Municipal Council }}

'''Colombo Public Library''' is the largest public library in Sri Lanka, located in Colombo 07, Sri Lanka.

==History== The first public library in the country was the United Service Library, which was established in 1813. It was used exclusively by civil and military officers of the Government stationed in Colombo and was housed in a building opposite the Queen's House, on Janadhipathi Mawatha (formerly Kings Street). In 1829, the Vurghers opened the 'Colombo Pettah Library' in Pettah. On 1 October 1924, E. W. Jayawardena moved a resolution at the Colombo Municipal Council to establish the Colombo Library. The Colonial Secretary, Sir Cecil Clementi, called a meeting of subscribers of both libraries, and they agreed to hand over their books to the new library, which was to be run as a department of the Colombo Council.

The Colombo Library was opened on 10 August 1925 in a mansion, 'Sirinivasa', built by Mudaliyar Simon Fernando Sri Chandrasekera (who bequested the building to the government), on Sir Marcus Fernando Mawatha (formerly Edinburgh Crescent).<ref name=official /> At its formation, the library had three departments, the Reading Room, the Lending Room and the Reference Library. It had approximately 16,000 books, 94 members and seven staff, with S. C. Blok as the first principal librarian.<ref name=cmc /> In 1980 the library was relocated to a newly constructed building adjoining Viharamahadevi Park (formerly Victoria Park).<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.sundaytimes.lk/070812/FunDay/heritage.html |title=Beginnings of the Public Library|newspaper=The Sunday Times|date=12 August 2007|accessdate=3 January 2015}}</ref>

== Timeline == *In 2016, the library was fully automated with Koha FOSS Library Management Library System with the advice of the Open University of Sri Lanka. *In 2017, the Digital Libraries Project was launched at the library by the Information Communication Technology Agency of Sri Lanka (ICTA) in collaboration with National Library and Documentation Services Board.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://pl.colombo.mc.gov.lk/|title=Colombo Public Library catalog|website=pl.colombo.mc.gov.lk|access-date=2019-05-08}}</ref> In March 2019, the Colombo Digital Library officially launched.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.dailynews.lk/2019/03/21/local/180888/colombo-public-library-digitalized|title=Colombo Public Library is digitalized|website=Daily News|language=en|access-date=2019-05-08}}</ref> *In 2020, the library system was upgraded to the latest versions under the guidance with the Open University of Sri Lanka.

== Branches == * Kirulapone Library (High level road, Kirulapone, Colombo 06) * Mihindu Mawatha Library (Mihindu Mawatha, Colombo 12) * Elliot Place Library (Elliot Place, Colombo 12) * Kettarama Library (Kettarama Mawatha, Colombo 14) * Mattakkuliya (Central Road, Colombo 15) * Gunasinghe Park Little Library (Gunasinghe Park, Colombo 11) * Kotahena Library (Kotahena, Colombo 13) * Sri Sucharitha Library (Sucharitha Mawatha, Colombo 12) * Peterson Lane Library (Peterson lane, Colombo 06) * Belmont Street Library (Belmont Street, Colombo 12) * Henry Pediris Children's Library (Pediris Park, Colombo 05) * Bonavista Library (Bonavista Park, Colombo 15) * Eli House Park Library

==See also== * List of libraries in Sri Lanka.

==References== {{reflist}} .<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.aruna.lk/කොළඹ-මහජන-පුස්තකාලයේ-පොත/|title=කොළඹ මහජන පුස්තකාලයේ පොත් දස ලක්ෂයක් ‘කොහා’ ගිලියි|website=අරුණ|language=SI|access-date=2019-09-24}}</ref>

== External links == {{commons category|Colombo Public Library}} *http://pdfs.island.lk/2008/07/15/p11.pdf {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304023503/http://pdfs.island.lk/2008/07/15/p11.pdf |date=2016-03-04 }} * [http://www.colombo.mc.gov.lk/public-library.php/ Colombo Public Library]

Category:Libraries in Colombo District Category:Library buildings completed in 1980 Category:Cultural buildings in Colombo Category:Government buildings in Colombo