Madurai Kalaignar Centenary Library does not have books from Akalvilakku and Phoenix publishers, according to an inspection conducted by officials after publisher Mohan reportedly said that books worth Rs 5 lakh had been sent to libraries in Tamil Nadu and elsewhere.
The inspection followed a controversy over books supplied by Akalvilakku Publications to the E.V. R. Library in Coimbatore. The books were reported to contain incorrect information and names of alleged fictional authors, prompting their removal in Coimbatore. Mohan, the owner of Akalvilakku Publications, had also said that books were sent to the Kannemara Library in Chennai, the Anna Centenary Library and the Madurai Kalaignar Centenary Library.
According to the report, officials checked the collection at the Madurai library after the claim became public. The inspection found that books from Akalvilakku Publications were not present there. The report also stated that the library’s approved book list did not include titles from either Akalvilakku or Phoenix Publications.
A library official said books for institutions under the Directorate of Public Libraries are purchased only through a transparent book procurement portal. Publishers must first send a copy of a book to libraries including the Kalaignar Library, the Kannemara Library, the Anna Library and the National Library in Kolkata. They can enter a title on the procurement portal only after retaining the receipt issued for the submitted copy, the official said.
The submission is then considered for review. A special committee comprising librarians and readers examines the registered books, according to the official. The Directorate of Public Libraries sends the final list of selected titles to the libraries, and only books on that list are placed on shelves for readers. Books that are not selected are excluded from the collection.
The account places the Madurai inspection within the administrative chain governing public-library acquisitions. A publisher’s claim that books were sent to a library does not, by itself, establish that those titles were accepted into the public collection. The procurement process described by the library separates the initial submission of a copy from committee review, selection by the public-library directorate and eventual placement on shelves.
This distinction is significant for large public libraries, where acquisition decisions determine what material is made available to readers and how public funds are used. The reported inspection also shows how procurement records, committee review and approved title lists can be used to establish whether a book entered a library’s active collection.
The report did not identify any Akalvilakku or Phoenix titles in the Madurai library’s approved book list. It also did not report any further action against the publishers or officials. The library’s stated position is that only books selected through the prescribed process are placed on its shelves.
