The Indian Library Congress will be held on February 16–17 at the Anna Centenary Library, Chennai.At the inaugural ceremony, Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi, Minister for School Education, Government of Tamil Nadu, will be the chief guest. Kanimozhi Karunanidhi MP will deliver the keynote address. The inauguration will be marked by representatives collectively reading the Preamble to the Constitution under the leadership of the Minister. The introductory address will be delivered by N. Ram.
Among those participating are R. Girirajan MP, Salma MP, Su. Venkatesan MP, Sachithanandam MP, Dr. V. Sivadasan MP, S. Jayanthi, B. Chandramohan, Kamatchi, L. Hanumanthayya, former MP, Uma Mahadevan, Pushpavathy Poippadath, Irai Anbu, Prabhjot Kaur, Prof. V. Chandrakumar, Shashi Kumar, Bhaskar Shakti, Justice K. Chandru, Mini Krishnan, Kavitha Muralidharan, P. Sainath, Mridula Koshy, G. Selva, and many others.
The Indian Library Congress works to strengthen libraries with the goal of making them accessible public spaces for everyone. Libraries must become inclusive spaces that anyone can enter and feel welcome in.
In the present era, advances in technology are transforming the ways in which people access knowledge. Libraries must respond creatively to these changes. They should evolve into centers where everyone can learn to use new technologies, and into hubs for learning, sharing, and innovation.
This year’s Indian Library Congress will be held on February 16–17, 2026, at the Anna Centenary Library in Chennai. The Congress is being organized in partnership with the Anna Centenary Library and the Government of Tamil Nadu. N. Ram is the Chairperson, and Dr. V. Sivadasan MP is the General Convener.
The Chennai Congress will discuss transformations in the knowledge economy, share experiences from different states, and develop ideas to make libraries more vibrant, democratic, and people-friendly public spaces.
“Libraries are not merely collections of books; they are spaces for intellectual exchange among people. There are many spaces where people of the same caste or religion can gather together. However, spaces where people of different castes, religions, and political views can come together and discuss social issues are limited. The Indian Library Congress is a collective platform of academics, researchers, and social activists that seeks to overcome this limitation,” said Sivadasan MP.
Around 400 delegates—including library professionals, Members of Parliament, elected representatives, writers, academic experts, activists, and cultural workers from various states across India—will participate actively in the Congress.