State Central Library of Kerala, also known as Thiruvananthapuram Public Library is a public library in Thiruvananthapuram, the capital of Kerala.

History

The library was established in 1829 during the reign of King Swathi Thirunal of Travancore. The work of starting and organising the library was entrusted to Edward Cadogan, a British resident and the grandson of British Museum founder Hans Sloane. Cadogan was the first president of the Thiruvananthapuram Public Library committee, which managed the affairs of the library. At that time, only a privileged class who were called to attend the Durbar of the king was allowed admission to the library. In 1898 it was opened to the public and became known as "Thiruvananthapuram People’s Library". Other landmarks in the history of the library:

Sections

Digital library

The library has a searchable digital collection containing 707 rare documents, in English and Malayalam, and 480 digitised books in English.

Children's library

The New Heritage Model building within the campus is devoted for children's library. A multimedia section is also functioning in this building. The library is also conducting a certificate course in library and information science.