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Bellary Shamanna Kesavan (1909-2000)

Bellary Shamanna Kesavan, the library educator and administrator. He was born in May 10 1909, in Mylapora Madras, India and spent most of his early years in Madras, where he passed his matriculation, after this his family moved to Mysore, where he attended Maharajas college in 1929 and got graduation degree from the college, soon he moved to London, where he too M.A in English Literature at the University of London in 1936. During his Honors course he also earned a Diploma in Librarianship at the School of Librarianship, University of London. He was also well versed with Sanskrit and German Languages.

Kesavan was the first Librarian of the National Library, Calcutta after Independence, 1947-62, and first Director of the Indian National Scientific Documentation Centre (INSDOC), New Delhi, 1963-69.

Kesavan taught English at Mysore University and was also Assistant Secretary of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) in New Delhi 1944-46. He also served as the Education Officer in the Ministry of Education, Govt. of India in 1946-47. Under his able guidance and leadership an important bibliographic project was planned for the Sahitya Academi that was the selective retrospective bibliography of books from 1901 to 1953 on humanities in all the major languages of India, including English. In 1956, he also started publishing of the Indian National Bibliography of Current Indian Publications, which was a landmark achievement in India’s bibliographic history.

His other important contribution was the development of INSDOC of which he was Director, during his tenure he took the organization to its new heights by establishing National Science Library and also started compiling of National Union Catalogue of Scientific serials to compile and unite national resources to make a computerized database, the publication of Indian Science Abstract was also started by him, improved printing and reprographic services, translation services and establishment of Regional Centre of the organization at Bangalore are the contributions that were started by him.

At international level his activities were also discerned, from 1964 – 66, he was the Vice-president of FID, a member of the both UNESCO’s International Advisory Committee on Bibliography, Documentation and Terminology and the Expert Committee for Organizing the Library and Documentation Division.

After retirement in 1969, Kesavan served National and International Organizations like Planning Commission, UGC, UNESO, WHO, FID and IFLA.

He was empowered with great leadership qualities, due to which he adorned the Library profession in India and took it to its new heights at national as well as International Level.

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