The Nilgiri Library
A jewel of Ooty's heritage, the Nilgiri Library is a Gothic-style subscription library founded in 1858 — a quiet, atmospheric reading room holding tens of thousands of volumes, including rare colonial-era works on the hills and their communities.
History
The 'Neilgherry Library' began in 1858 as a reading room for visitors who could not bring their own books to the hills. Its present building opened in 1869 with 23 members and around 4,000 volumes.
Today the collection runs to more than 30,000 books — among them rare titles on the Nilgiris, its natural history and its hill tribes — making it both a scholars' resource and a beloved town institution.
Membership
A members' subscription library; visitors are welcome to view the historic reading room, and can enquire about temporary or annual membership at the library.
Facilities
- Heritage reading room
- Reference & rare-books collection (30,000+ volumes)
- Periodicals