HNGU Infrastructure: Library, Hostel, Labs, Gym, Auditorium & Other Facilities

Shreyeshri Mandal

Infrastructure Facilities Hemchandracharya North Gujarat University, [HNGU] Patan:

• Along with the two hostel buildings the University rented a hall, called the Gandhi Memorial hall, to house its library.
• The aim was to start building up a nucleus library for the future post-graduate departments of the university.
• This was an act of foresight of the first functionaries of the University.
• The University simultaneously moved the State Government to acquire land admeasuring about 185 acres from farmers.
• It also requested the State Government to transfer its seed farm land admeasuring about 35 acres to the University.
• However, this entailed considerable delay owing to litigation in the State High Court and then in the Supreme Court.
• Following the Supreme Court, judgment acquisition of the land has been possible. As a result over the years, the university has been able to get land as follows. Government land 35.00 acres Land acquired from the farmers 177.50 acres.
• The university will in due course acquire land admeasuring 7.50 acres from one farmer. Total land available = 212.50 acres.
• In addition to this, the University has also received a property worth Rs.10/- lakhs by way of donation from the Gramodhyog Mandal, Patan. At present, the University Employment Bureau is housed in that building.
• The university has proposed to the State Government for further assistance in materializing plans for more constructions in phased manner, are under active consideration

Classroom

• The university is well equipped with modern classroom facilities. All the classrooms are well furnished.

Laboratory

• All labs are well-equipped wit the latest equipment.

Library

• The library was started along with the establishment of the University in the year 1986.
• The library was established on 15th January, 1988. Initially it was housed in the Gandhi Memorial Hall.
• The University received a donation of Rs.51 lakhs from Dr. M.S.Patel Trust, Mumbai for the construction of the library building, hence the library is named as Shivabhai Umedbhai Patel Library.
• The state government had also sanctioned Rs. 25 lakhs. Overall Rs. 85, 69,616 has been spent for the construction of the two storied library building.
• The total built up area of the building is 2486.41 sq. meter.
• The Rotary Patan City has also donated Rs. 11.50 lakhs for library furniture, reading cabinets and books.

Collection

• 72,175 Books
• 1,094 Dissertation
• 1,349 Theses
• 402 M.Phil.
• 2,557 Back volumes of the Periodicals
• 1,209 Audio/Video cassettes
• 110 Current periodicals
• Its annual budget for purchasing of books is Rupees 20,00,000 (University Budget), 28,44,000 (UGC Budjet), 2,00,000 (E-Journals) and for periodicals is Rupees 3,00,000
• Total Rupees 3,44,29,146  has been spent for purchasing of the books.
• The library received the late Dr. B.J.Sandesara's personal library as a gratis.
• It contains about 4,252 books and some back volumes of literary and ideological journals.
• The collection is very rich in the areas of Gujarati and Sanskrit literature, History, Culture Jainology, and Indology.
• The library is also planning to build up a local history museum and Hemachandrachary a corner.
• Hemachandracharya was a versatile scholar and a great jainnologist of Patan (also known as Anhilwad Patan) who flourished in the 12th century.

Services

• The library provides all the traditional services like Reference, Bibliographical, Literature search, User, Education, Inter-Library Loan, Photocopy, Audio Visual, CyberCafe- Internet, OPAC, Newspaper clipping, CAS, etc.
• Since last fifteen years, the library is also organization weekly discussion group called 'Characha vartula' for students.
• It meets every Wednesday hence called as Budhavariyum. Average 25-30 students are regularly attending it and discussion on various subjects.

Hostel

• It provides hostel facilities within the college for both boys and girls which is very useful for the students who live outside Patan.