Jamshedpur : XLRI – Xavier School of Management, Jamshedpur, celebrated National Librarians’ Day at the Sir Jehangir Ghandy Library on August 12, 2026, commemorating the 134th birth anniversary of Padma Shri Dr. S. R. Ranganathan, widely regarded as the Father of Library Science in India. The celebration brought together faculty members, staff, researchers, students and members of the Library team.
The programme commenced with Dr. (Fr.) Sebastian George, SJ, Director, XLRI, garlanding the portrait of Dr. S. R. Ranganathan. Dr. (Fr.) Donald D’Silva, SJ, Dean [A&F], Prof. H. K. Pradhan, Program Director – PGDM (Finance), and Mr. D. T. Edwin, Head – Library, offered their homage to the eminent librarian and visionary.
The formal programme began with a welcome address by Ms Deepa, Executive Head, VIL Programs, followed by Ms Anu James, TA, PODS Area, who highlighted the significance of National Librarians’ Day and the distinguished contributions of Dr. Ranganathan. Mr. D. T. Edwin, Head – Library, acknowledged the contributions of former Heads of the Library and highlighted the XLRI Library’s growth in recent years, including its extensive resources, enhanced premium services and professionally trained human resources. He also emphasised the importance of continuous human resource development in strengthening the Library’s technological capabilities and services.
A key highlight of the celebration was the launch of the “Retrospective Digitisation of Doctoral Theses” by Dr. (Fr.) S. George, SJ, Director, XLRI. In his address, he reflected on how greed, hatred and the pursuit of power can diminish the beauty of life and encouraged the audience to read more books, particularly classics, and draw inspiration from the wisdom of the past to lead more peaceful and meaningful lives. He also distributed prizes to the Coursera Top Learners, along with Mr. Manik Kathuria, Account Director, Coursera.
Dr. (Fr.) Donald D’Silva, SJ, Dean [A&F], launched XL-LibRemote, the Library’s in-house off-site access portal. Recalling his memories of his school library, he emphasised that “the library is the heart of the institute.” He also distributed prizes to the winners of the Library Quiz and Brochure Design Competition and felicitated members of the Library team with mementoes and gifts in appreciation of their contributions.
Prof. H. K. Pradhan, Program Director – PGDM (Finance), commended the XLRI Library for its high-quality services supporting the Institute’s academic and research community for several decades. He launched Nova 3.0 – the XL-LibBot (AI Assistant), integrated with the Summon Discovery Service, enabling users to retrieve relevant electronic resources through an AI-powered assistant.
The programme also featured reflections from Mr. Arpan Kumar Pakira, Library Staff, on his journey at the XLRI Library, and Ms Ananya Aprajita, Doctoral Scholar, who appreciated the Library’s rich resources and comprehensive services and acknowledged the support extended to research scholars by the Library team.
The celebration also recognised achievements across various categories, including library usage, book borrowing, discussion room usage, Coursera learning, XLRI AI Sprint, the Library Quiz and Brochure Design Competition. Members of the Library team and staff who contributed to various initiatives were also felicitated.
The formal programme concluded with a vote of thanks delivered by Ms. Veena Laxmi Parasuraman, followed by the National Anthem.