Daniel Poor Memorial Library in Madurai
Encyclopedia
Daniel Poor Memorial Library often abbreviated as DPM Library is a College Library of The American College, Madurai
, Tamil Nadu
in India
that officially began its functions on June 28, 1915.
in Jaffna
in 1816. He was also one of the founders for the American Madura Mission established here in Madurai(then Madura
) in the year 1835. Samuel A Morman, the grand daughter of Dr. Daniel Poor
was the key person to build the library building by donation $25,000 to the American Board of Missioneries on January 26, 1926. Between the years 1914-1920, J.A. Sunders worked as its first librarian
establishing the college library. 5000 books were accessioned during its first year. The collection was housed in the Main Hall of the college.
This building was originally planned for a ground floor that would house a stack room for about 50,000 volumes, a small museum and a teacher’s room. The first floor was to house a Library study room and two lecture rooms. Presently this building houses a stack room, a reference section, a reading room, technical section and a computerized student access catalog system. Stack room at the library houses more than 60,000 volumes.
floor built during 1987-1988. This facility doubled the space for shelving books and helped expand the reading room space.
The American College in Madurai
The American College, often referred to as American College, is one of the oldest colleges present in India. It is located in Madurai, Tamil Nadu state, south of India. It was founded in 1881 by American Christian missionaries.The college is situated in Madurai, the second largest city in Tamil Nadu...
, Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu is one of the 28 states of India. Its capital and largest city is Chennai. Tamil Nadu lies in the southernmost part of the Indian Peninsula and is bordered by the union territory of Pondicherry, and the states of Kerala, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh...
in India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
that officially began its functions on June 28, 1915.
History
Daniel Poor was one of the pioneer missionaries of the American Board who started the American Ceylon MissionAmerican Ceylon Mission
The American Ceylon Mission to Jaffna, Sri Lanka started with the arrival in 1813 of missionaries sponsored by the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions . The British colonial office in India and Ceylon restricted the Americans to the relatively small Jaffna Peninsula for...
in Jaffna
Jaffna
Jaffna is the capital city of the Northern Province, Sri Lanka. It is the administrative headquarters of the Jaffna district located on a peninsula of the same name. Jaffna is approximately six miles away from Kandarodai which served as a famous emporium in the Jaffna peninsula from classical...
in 1816. He was also one of the founders for the American Madura Mission established here in Madurai(then Madura
Madurai
Madurai is the third largest city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. It served as the capital city of the Pandyan Kingdom. It is the administrative headquarters of Madurai District and is famous for its temples built by Pandyan and...
) in the year 1835. Samuel A Morman, the grand daughter of Dr. Daniel Poor
Daniel Poor
Daniel Poor was a Presbyterian missionary and educator, founder of the first English School in Jaffna, Sri Lanka....
was the key person to build the library building by donation $25,000 to the American Board of Missioneries on January 26, 1926. Between the years 1914-1920, J.A. Sunders worked as its first librarian
Librarian
A librarian is an information professional trained in library and information science, which is the organization and management of information services or materials for those with information needs...
establishing the college library. 5000 books were accessioned during its first year. The collection was housed in the Main Hall of the college.
This building was originally planned for a ground floor that would house a stack room for about 50,000 volumes, a small museum and a teacher’s room. The first floor was to house a Library study room and two lecture rooms. Presently this building houses a stack room, a reference section, a reading room, technical section and a computerized student access catalog system. Stack room at the library houses more than 60,000 volumes.
Later Developments
The first floor houses the current periodicals, back volumes of periodicals, and a small rare book collection. The only structural addition in the building is the mezzanineMezzanine (architecture)
In architecture, a mezzanine or entresol is an intermediate floor between main floors of a building, and therefore typically not counted among the overall floors of a building. Often, a mezzanine is low-ceilinged and projects in the form of a balcony. The term is also used for the lowest balcony in...
floor built during 1987-1988. This facility doubled the space for shelving books and helped expand the reading room space.