The Anna Centenary Library’s membership process is creating an added cost and paperwork barrier for readers from districts outside Chennai, with outstation applicants required to obtain a Notary Public-attested address accreditation certificate even though the annual membership fee is Rs 200.
The issue affects government examination aspirants, research scholars and other readers who travel to Chennai to use the city’s major public library. Readers from Chennai, Kancheepuram, Tiruvallur and Chengalpattu can obtain membership by submitting Aadhaar or another government-issued identity document carrying their address, according to a report by DT Next.
Applicants from districts outside these four districts, however, are required to submit an address accreditation certificate attested by a Notary Public. The additional process has become particularly difficult for students who live in hostels, paying guest accommodation or rented rooms in and around Chennai but do not have a local address proof.
Raja, a library member from a Delta district, told DT Next that the annual membership fee was Rs 200, while the address attestation had cost him Rs 500. He said some people had reportedly paid around Rs 2,000 to obtain the address certificate, describing it as unreasonable to spend several times the membership fee merely to complete address verification.
The requirement has also affected access to the library’s book lending facility. Kayalvizhi, a government exam aspirant staying in a hostel in Tambaram, said she could not access book lending without membership. She told the newspaper that she had to travel to the library every day to read a book when she needed it for her preparation.
The library has become an important study destination for aspirants from across Tamil Nadu preparing for competitive examinations. Kayalvizhi said the institution offered not only a conducive environment for preparation but also an ecosystem where aspirants could meet senior candidates and learn from their experiences.
The dispute reflects a practical gap between a public institution’s city-based address verification system and the way its users access Chennai. Many outstation aspirants come to the city temporarily for education, examination preparation or work, and may have valid government identity documents without possessing a Chennai address. For these users, the requirement of a separate notarised certificate adds both expense and an administrative step to access a publicly used knowledge facility.
Aadhaar or another valid government-issued identity document is accepted for applicants from the Chennai region covered by the existing process. Aspirants have urged the library administration to extend a similar registration option to readers from all districts of Tamil Nadu.
The demand before the administration is to simplify membership and allow applicants from outside the four districts to use Aadhaar or another valid government-issued identity document for address verification. The report does not indicate whether the library has announced any change to the current procedure.
