Children’s Libraries in India

Children’s libraries in India are fast expanding to fill in the of a lack of public library system in the country.

Unlike the localised neighbourhood libraries of yore, children’s libraries in India are growing at a fast clip, going national and fulfilling the void of a lack of public library system in India. And the COVID-19 induced disruption has aided this growth.

Led by mompreneuers, with just a couple of exceptions, most children’s libraries are the outcome of passion: of being readers, of feeling the need for quality books for their own children, and of not finding them easily; quickly expanded into a business: to fill in the need of urban, educated, nuclear families in big cities who want their children to be exposed to books and to reading.

To top this, most mompreneuers are professionals from diverse fields. This helped bring in the modernity and nimble-footedness required to start, run and establish a new age business.

The demand for a well-stocked library, offering curated lists as per the reader’s need, storytelling sessions with authors and professional storytellers, different activities, including book clubs and above all, offering the convenience of doorstep drop-n-pick has aided in the expansion of these libraries. 

What started as a trickle in late 2010s, became a steady stream towards the end of the next decade, with 2020 becoming the inflection point for this fast-growing segment in children’s publishing ecosystem in India.

The year 2020 brought in the COVID-19 pandemic and like every aspect of human existence, the children’s library space in India was also disrupted. While many libraries shut down their shutters, many new one’s opened. Till March 2020, the model was predominantly physical, by August it became online; and doorstep deliveries transformed from mostly being city specific to becoming national in the delivery of books as per pre-defined subscription plans. 

Ponytale Books is delighted to celebrate the children’s libraries in India and the work they are doing to create readers of tomorrow! 

Towards this end, we have drawn up a list of exclusive children’s libraries, both Toys and Books libraries and general libraries with children’s books in Ahmedabad, Ahmednagar, Akola, Aurangabad, Bangalore, Chandigarh, Chennai, Coimbatore, Delhi, Gurugram, Haldwani, Hosur, Hyderabad, Jaipur, Kochi, Kolkata, Meerut, Mumbai, Nagpur, Nashik, Noida, Pune, Secundrabad, Thane, Thiruvananthapuram, Vadodara and Vishakapatnam on the basis information available in the public domain. 

This list is aimed at providing the starting point for parents interested in looking for libraries for their children. The listings are alphabetical, both of cities with libraries and libraries within these cities.

Disclaimer:
The list is as on 15 April 2021;
Exclusive
It seeks to provide basic information about the children’s libraries in different cities of India without any prejudice;
Browsers are advised to do their own research before deciding on the membership of a library;
And, finally, we will be happy to make changes to this list upon information made available on openings and closures of children’s libraries.

The List:
Children’s Library in Ahmedabad
Children’s Library in Ahmednagar
Children’s Library in Akola
Children’s Library in Aurangabad
Children’s Library in Bangalore
Children’s Library in Chandigarh
Children’s Library in Chennai
Children’s Library in Coimbatore
Children’s Library in Delhi
Children’s Library in Gurugram
Children’s Library in Haldwani
Children’s Library in Hosur
Children’s Library in Hyderabad & Secundrabad
Children’s Library in Jaipur
Children’s Library in Kochi
Children’s Library in Kolkata
Children’s Library in Meerut
Children’s Library in Mumbai & Thane
Children’s Library in Nagpur
Children’s Library in Nashik
Children’s Library in Noida
Children’s Library in Pune
Children’s Library in Thiruvananthapuram
Children’s Library in Vadodara
Children’s Library in Visakhapatnam