[ Back ]

The Central Library
Dr. Bidyarthi Dutta, Librarian

The Paradigm Shift

• The Library provides services to the students, staffs, research scholars, faculty members and Fathers of the college through an automated mode by using LIBSYS 4 (Release 5.0) software. The catalogue-search and circulation systems are fully automated at present. Search for any document can be made through Online-Public-Access-Catalogue (OPAC) and the circulation system is barcode-based. The Web-OPAC will be started shortly.
• The reading room has sitting capacity of 250 students altogether. Besides, there are 14 cubicles in the library, each equipped with computer connected through LAN. The cubicles are specially meant for students engaged in project works and teacher-student discussions beyond class-hour.
• The library maintains a book-bank for financially-challenged students from all disciplines.
• The photocopy and print-out facilities are available in the library at the rate of 50 paisa per page.
• The Internet browsing facilities are also available. However only educational sites are allowed for surfing. 
• The library provides current-awareness service to the readers through newspapers and clippings, announcement posters, newsletters etc.
• The membership of the Library is open to Fathers, teachers, research scholars students and non-teaching staff of the College.
• The reading room remains open from 6.00 AM to 8.00 PM and the lending section functions from 9.00 AM to 8.00 PM except on Sundays and college holidays. There are three lending counters and one reading room counter.
• A student can borrow at most two books at a time for seven days, which are further renewable at most twice in seven days slot each. A delay in return is charged by Rs. 3/- (Rupees three only) per day per book.
• The facilities of e-books, e-journals and e-databases will be implemented shortly.
• The online database Prowess and www.indiastat.com can be accessed from the library.
• There are some online journals also that are accessible in the library.
• The library presently subscribes nearly 200 periodicals, including both journals and magazines and 10 daily newspapers.

Present Condition

• The college had five different libraries before January, 2009.
• All these five libraries have been merged into one integrated corpus and started functioning as a centralized system since January 16, 2009. But the new centralised system is open-access. Several constraints to timely access of library documents have been overcome. As a result, the use of the library has increased.
• As the college got CPE status, a new project entitled “Bibliographic Description Conversion and Standardization of Documents” was installed under the financial support from University Grants Commission (UGC), New Delhi in CPE scheme since January, 2008. This is a retro-conversion project.
• The objectives of this project include the following
• To introduce a new classification system according to the scheme of Dewey Decimal Classification-22nd Edition.
• To introduce a new subject descriptor system according to the scheme of Sear’s List of Subject Headings-18th edition.
• To introduce a new cataloguing system according to the scheme of Anglo-American Cataloguing Rule-2nd edition.
• To bring the entire library collection under the single umbrella of the three above-mentioned internationally standardised document processing systems.
• To provide data-entry for developing a centralized library database, by the software used, i.e. LIBSYS 4.0 (Release 5).
• To develop a fully automated catalogue search system.
• To develop a fully automated barcode-based circulation system.

Library Facilities

Students' Lending Library

Besides standard textbooks the library contains books of literature and general interest. 

Suggestions for additions to the Library may be submitted through the clerk who keeps a special register for the purpose.

The Library is open every class day from 9 a.m. to 12 noon and 12-30 p.m. to 3.30 p.m.

Students are provided with Library Cards on which they enter the serial numbers of the desired books as per Authorized Card Index of the Library. The Library Card should then be dropped into the box near the Library.

Books will be issued from 11-30 to 1 p.m. and from 1-40 to 3-30 p.m. on presentation of the Identity Card. Returned books should be deposited with the clerk before 12 noon.

Students Reading Room

The Reading Room is open every weekday from 9-00 a.m. to 8-00 p.m. Opening hours may be modified on College Holidays.

Strict silence should be kept in the Reading Room. 
No book or magazine is to removed from the Reading Room, even for photocopying. 
Books are issued on presentation of the student's Identity Card which will remain with the clerk as long as the book is in use.

The Goethals Library & Research Centre 

The Goethals Indian Library & Research Centre, situated above the Mina Chapel, has some of the most valuable collections of books, periodicals, paintings, antiques and curios, which Archbishop Paul Goethals bequeathed to St. Xavier's when he was Archbishop of Calcutta [ 1886 - 1901 ]. The Library has a collection of approximately 18,800 book-plates, periodicals, journals and manuscripts.

The collection of rare books is classified into sixty-one categories. The sections range from Ancient Travels, Modern Indian History, Biographies, Folklore, Flora, Fauna, Mateorology, Classical Language and Literature, Archaeology, Architecture, Epigraphy, Education, Religion, Philosophy, Missions in India and abroad, law, Medicine, Anthropology, to Non-Indian Countries.

The Goethals Library's rare documents include the travels to India in the 16th and 17th centuries, Bengal Mission before and after 1800, documents, photos and archival material on St. Xavier's School and College, writings of Brahmabandhav Upadhyaya, Animanada and others. The Goethals Indian Library is truly a treasure trove of indological knowledge.

GILRC offers fellowships for research on monthly basis. Library is open from 9.00 am to 4.00 pm on weekdays. 

Website : www.goethals.org, Email : goethals@vanl.com, Director : Fr. Felix Raj. SJ.