On the occasion of National Librarians’ Day, the IIIT Hyderabad library organised a two-day book exhibition on 12 and 13 August. The event also marked the birth anniversary of Prof. S R Ranganathan, the father of Library Science in India. The celebrations began with the garlanding of Prof. Ranganathan’s portrait in the library, attended by members of the Library Committee and staff. This was followed by a formal inauguration of the exhibition by Prof. Kothapalli Kishore, Dean (Academics).

The exhibition was open to all members of the IIITH community and numerous students, faculty, staff, and other campus residents came to have a look at the books and buy them. Leading book publishers and distributors participated, including Shah Book House (Hyderabad), Professional Book Service in collaboration with Feel Books (Bangalore), Book Selection Centre (Hyderabad), Shanti Book Service (Chennai), and Standard Book Company (Bangalore). Their stalls featured a wide range of Indian as well as internationally published titles.

Apart from academic books covering the core disciplines taught at IIIT like Computer Science, Electronics and Communication Engineering, Civil Engineering, Mathematics, Natural Sciences, and Human Sciences, the exhibition also showcased an impressive collection in literature, philosophy, and general reading. Several Hyderabad-based stores such as Akshara Book Shop, Minds Book Stores, Vakratunda Book Stores, and Navachetana Mobile Book Exhibition Van enriched the event with titles in English, Hindi, and Telugu, including classics, fiction, non-fiction, and works by eminent Indian scientists and technologists.

Important publishers such as Taylor & Francis, CRC, Routledge, Springer, Elsevier, Cambridge University Press, Oxford University Press, World Scientific, Wiley, Pearson, Orient Blackswan, American Mathematical Society, Motilal Banarsidass, PACKT, Sage, Penguin, HarperCollins, Simon & Schuster, Bloomsbury, Primus, and others made available their latest publications.

The purpose of the exhibition was to expose students and faculty to new developments in their respective fields, to enable them to recommend titles for the library’s growing collection, and to encourage the habit of reading beyond the classroom. The event also provided an opportunity for faculty and students to interact directly with publishers and distributors, as well as to acquire books for their personal collections.

The response from the community was enthusiastic. More than 300 visitors attended the exhibition, creating a vibrant atmosphere of discussion and exchange around books. The major outcomes included:

1. Valuable recommendations for enriching the library’s collection.
2. Faculty and students purchasing books of personal interest.
3. Exposure of students to a diverse and high-quality collection.
4. Lively conversations within the community on a variety of books.
5. Promotion of a healthy reading culture on campus.

A special highlight of the exhibition was the presence of Mrs. Kotta Supriya Chowdhary, Trade Sales Manager – South India, Springer Nature. She interacted extensively with faculty members over two days, exploring possibilities of collaborative publishing and presenting Springer’s subject-specific titles. Faculty members shortlisted more than 50 titles from Springer’s catalogue for possible addition to the library collection.

The book exhibition thus succeeded not only in expanding access to knowledge resources but also in strengthening the culture of reading and intellectual exchange within the IIIT Hyderabad community.

 Photos: Book Exhibition Images 2025

August 2025