After a parliamentary career of 18 years in Britain, Robert Bourke (1827-1902), later Baron Connemara, became Governor of the Madras Presidency in 1886. Unlike many of his predecessors and successors, he interacted freely and cordially with people of all classes. In no time did he develop an admiration for Indian students and realised not many were able to afford the books they needed. As part of his efforts to address this need, he laid the foundation in March 1886 on Pantheon Road in Egmore for, what he called, a “free public library”, which later came to be called Connemara Public Library.
After the library was thrown open to the public in December 1896, it became one of the sought-after places of the city. “Even today, you can see scores of youngsters at the library complex, staying put throughout the day. The salubrious natural environment is a major complementary factor,” points out N. Avadaiappan, former director of the Connemara Public Library.
Virtually endorsing the former director’s words, R. Thangathurai, a long-time user of the library, says that during his recent visit, he found several youngsters at the library browsing the net and collecting materials as part of their studies.
