The library's facelift plan includes building a new seminar room, central air-conditioning of reading areas, setting up of a cyber café and installation of close circuit cameras.

The 250-seat new seminar room will be built on the top of the children's corner at a cost of Tk. 40,40,000.

"The present 80-seat seminar hall is not big enough to hold launching of books, discussion programmes and similar events. Our auditorium on the other hand is too large for those purposes. That is why we are building this new seminar hall which has been a long-standing demand," said assistant director of the public library Kazi Abdul Majed.

The Central Public Library was built in 1978 and until this year no changes have been made to its structural character.

"The department of architecture has already started preparing a design for the new seminar hall without demolishing any part of the library," added Majed.

He hoped that they would be able to finish the construction by the coming year.

The only library in the country open for 24-hours will become centrally air-conditioned by the end of this fiscal year. 41 split type air conditioners are being installed for the five reading rooms covering 19984 square feet area. The air-conditioning will cost Tk. 94 lakh.

All the old furniture of the reading rooms where 1950 people visit on an average everyday, will be replaced with new ones at an expenditure of Tk. 39 lakh.

"We will send the shelves, chairs, tables to the district libraries after replacing them with new ones by this fiscal year," Majed said

The cyber café will also be established this year in the library's main building.

"The café with fifteen computers will provide internet service to users at a cheaper rate than the private cyber cafes," said the assistant director.

The budget for the cyber café and computers for administrative use has been estimated at Tk. 37 lakh.

"We have a plan to start computer training for our librarians and also for librarians of other public libraries around the country after the café is in place. We will employ a local consultant for this purpose," Majed added.

He also informed that books worth Tk. 50 lakh will be added to the library by 2005. A committee has already been formed headed by Professor Wakil Ahmed for selecting of books.

"The committee has been working from May this year and it has already decided in principal to buy 70 percent of books from the local publishers, while the rest will be bought from international publishers," said Majed.

Thirteen close circuit cameras have already been set up in the library for security purpose.

The library's interior will also go through a change.

"We have a budget of Tk. 18,88,000 Thousand for the interior designing of the library compound and the main auditorium," Majed informed.