While thanking President Anura Kumara Dissanayake for allocating Rs. 100 million in this year’s budget for the development of the Jaffna Library’s infrastructure, Geethanath Cassilingam, the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) Jaffna District Organizer, suggested using the part of the funds to digitize the library’s collection.
Expressing his remarks over the Budget 2025, Cassilingam emphasized that going digital would help protect priceless books from damage, theft, or disasters like the past fire that destroyed many valuable works.
He also stressed the importance of providing digital research tools for students, ensuring they have access to modern resources needed for success.
“A future library should not only preserve books but also offer modern digital resources, interactive learning spaces, virtual reality for education, and collaborative areas for students. Other South Asian countries have already adopted such measures to prepare their students for the future,” Cassilingam stated.
He further said that digitizing the Jaffna Library would be a vital step in both preserving cultural heritage and equipping students for the digital age.