What is the IITM library like?
The Central Library is a four-storey building specifically built for IIT-M students for academic purposes. It also provides access to bibliographic and full-text digital and printed resources to support the scholarly requirements of the Institute community.
The first floor is an enormous, well-ventilated room with tables that can be shared by two people sitting face-to-face and side tables lining the room. Bright and commanding a view of the trees, the hall is a positive and refreshing place. The second and third floors, similarly designed, contain row-by-row seating arrangements and shelves of books. The third floor, a preferred study spot for many students, is comfortable, air-conditioned, spacious, and well-lit, with lots of charging ports. It is also equipped with water coolers and a nearby bathroom facility. On the top floor, the cozy reading room is meant for group sessions and studying.
Well-equipped with modern facilities, this air-conditioned and WiFi-enabled facility contains many resources, including CD- ROMs, online databases, books, e-journals, patents, e-standards, theses, and reports. The Library is divided into sections - Textbook/Reference, General Stacks, Reading Halls, Journals and Current Periodicals, a Media Research Centre (which regularly screens educational and scientific videos), and a Book Bank, among many others.
The Library has subscriptions to most renowned research journals, including e-subscriptions to a palette of journals. Being a member of the library by default means one can access books/journals and reference materials from other libraries in the city. The library has an online renewal system that allows members to send requests for books they need. It also houses the Digital Knowledge Centre, which contains computers with broadband Internet connection. The Central Library was awarded the Wiley Library Award 2019 in the 'Digitally Transformed Academic Library (Government)' category.
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