This library goes to show how much the city of Chennai values literacy, education, thinking and thoughtfulness. It was heartwarming to see young kids come with laptops, lunch boxes and water bottles to make a palce for themselves in one comfortable corner to study. The place is spacious, well kept and has a plethora of books for all. I was surprised to see the curation and catalogue. I will definitely visit to read more. The bioethics section for me gave a Alice in Wonderland feeling. Kudos to the librarians and staff. You are doing a great work👏🙂

Entry is Free.No Membership Card is needed unless you want to read your own books.Staffs are so kind.Spacious with a wide collection of books ranging from kids to philosophy over a span of 7 floors.Such a Quit and peaceful atmosphere to gain some knowledge 📖.Laptops and mobiles are allowed.( best to avoid bringing any electronic accessories.. (or put in on airplane mode) so you can easily concentrate without any distraction)⏰ 8:00 AM to 9:00 PM.Bring your kid’s let them roam around the vast sea of knowledge make em reading book was a habit ( not for competitive exams ) it makes him/her wise, kind, more over happy soul for life..We can know only that we know nothing. And that is the highest degree of human wisdom.- Leo TolstoyBooks are here so was us 🌻Love You All 🌻

Chennai is now home to South Asia’s largest library. So if you are a book lover and need a break from the city’s commotion, this is the place for you. The Anna Centenary Library is an eight-story structure that has recently added to the city’s growing modern landscape in the Kotturpuram area. A Braille section, children’s corner, replica of the Tree of Knowledge, an auditorium and an amphitheater make quite an impression on visitors.

Anna Centenary Library is truly a delight for anyone looking for a peaceful, enjoyable reading experience!!! Come anytime, you get a nice place to read as long as you wish. What really sets the library apart is the modern infrastructure, located at the heart of the city, easily accessible.Combine this with a huge book collection, 7 floors that house different sections and many rooms. What else does one need? Not only students but children and families can take advantage of everything in the library. For example, a dedicated kids section and family memberships at extremely affordable plans. The administration has been maintaining it exceptionally well, they deserve appreciation!Lets applaud the vision of starting such an incredible public institution inside the heart of the city. This enormous structure with modern facilities makes this library world-class, and Chennai should feel proud of the Anna Library. This kind of vision and investment into a public good is necessary that paves ways to develop human capital that helps prosper & strengthen Indias intellectual capabilities.Indeed, a great place to visit for any book lover, student, research fellow or anyone looking to engage in any sort of study.

Today I visit this library really good experience and very clean and peaceful place for books readers

One of the top libraries in Chennai.. It has a very peaceful ambience..

The Anna Centenary Library (ACL) is an established state library of the Government of Tamil Nadu. It is located at Kotturpuram, Chennai. It is built at a cost of ₹172 crores (₹1,720 million). It is named after a former chief minister of Tamil Nadu, C. N. Annadurai. It was opened by the then Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu M. Karunanidhi. The average number of persons who visited the library between January and October 2011 is around 26,500, compared to the monthly average of 20,000 in 2010.

Excellent public library with a vast collection of books across genres especially in English and Tamil. Most books are well maintained yet, better efforts need to be taken to keep the books in good condition. No handbags are allowed inside.

All type of books will be available here, it is a library which covers all ages of people. There will be many sitting places where you can read without any disturbances. The drawbacks here is that the food in canteen is not good and the toilets are not maintained well. Overall it will be a good experience if u go for just reading books.

Own book reading section closes at 9:00 PMAll other sections close at 8:00PMAmazing public library open to all at free of cost.Maintenance of the library is really good.never seen such a good public service.

Overall a good library with good atmosphere. Only things that I personally dont like is all the books are the same books they bought in 2010. Which means new books arent available. Every book has its seal of 2010. Especially in Computer Science department where the books need to often updated so students can learn the newest technology. BOOKS ARE OUTDATED but still you can gain a huge amount of knowledge. Bathrooms arent well maintained as well. Apart form that, this library is an heaven. Please visit. peace ;-)

Every Aspirations and Book Lovers in chennai are blessed and lucky to have this beautiful library. This place is just Peace!! Infrastructure, Food court, staff everything was good. Aavin is also available! Also a lot of space and smells of book gives pleasure than anything. Must visit regularly.

One of the most recommended study place for one who preparing for competative examinations at fully free of cost.1.Very calm atmosphere2.Fully Centralised AC3.Aavin parlour inside4.Dining space for outside food (currently no inside canteen available)

I, I heavenly bestow that its our minds best friend.. This enormous library has transformed a normal soul into an erudite knowledgeable soul with a broad intellect.. Presently, its your moment to change..Everybody has a chance and freedom to improve themselves - K.Silambu Sai Aakash

Excellent Library in the most suitable location near Anna University,Leather Institute etc and ample space.Every Tamilian,why,even others must visit this SUPERB Libreary.Hats OFF to Honourable C.M and officials for keeping such wonderful collection of books.Very rare follections of nature.This was not properly maintained before but now excellent mtce and environment.Must visit by all..From Dr.Prof.Jothilingam

That was pleasant atmosphere. I Love to read books every time I visit there.

Good place for Book lovers. Very superb infrastructure but due to current politicians maintenance is not good. Books are available in all genres and good place to spend ur time useful. Very good library in Chennai.

Massive library in the heart of the city, but due to political difference Library is not maintained well. It needs oxygen in the terms of funds to refresh books and upkeep infrastructure. I understand there is a state of the art auditorium here but rarely used. I remember Hillary Clinton speaking here once, after that I havent heard any high profile events. TN Government should do a lot to effectively leverage this massive infrastructure for the public good.

The Anna Centenary Library (ACL) is an established state library of the Government of Tamil Nadu. It is located at Kotturpuram, Chennai.It is named after a former chief minister of Tamil Nadu, C. N. Annadurai. It was opened by the then Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu M. Karunanidhi.Built on 8 acres of land, the 9-floor library houses a total area of 333,140 sq. ft and has a capacity to accommodate 1.2 million books. ACL has planned to adopt an integrated library management system that includes automated issue and return of books, user smartcards, access controls, Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology and self-check counters. The library is designed to accommodate a total of 1,250 persons. An auditorium of 50,000 sq. ft. with a seating capacity of 1,280Parking space exists for about 420 cars and 1,030 two-wheelers.

Nice quiet and a peaceful place..The Library is huge ! ... If youre coming for the first time then explore every corner of the library for a wholesome experience... You have all sorts of books available.. and this is the biggest public library in chennai... You can come here by bus, local train, cab, bike or in auto...

Great minds read more. Kalaingar Karunanithi is one of them and he need the fellow citizens to read 📚 more and more books. I wouldnt call this a Library I will call this Ocean Of Books... Definitely a Great place to visit. Now it is in renovation I think, So expecting a Great vibes and great look after the renovation also I think the quietest place in Chennai is here...📚📚

So much positivity. I used to travel 10kms just to sit there n read for 4-5 hours in weekends. Great place to spend time for book readers

Good library ...many books availableBut bathroom is in very bad condition ..Peacefull environment..best place to prepare for competitive examination...

8 storied building dedicated for books... Books available for every department... Separate space for own book readers with good ambience... It would be more good if internet connectivity is provided... Management has to work on maintaining clean toilets and improving infrastructure.Edit: They have recently stopped to provide meals at their food court. If you are not taking food with you, then you have to go outside to avail your food.

The place that built our growth overall. Excellent place and ambience. Worst part is management. Hope our govt gets the shine back

Spacious library having enormous collection of books for students and for general readers. Well maintained facility. Has a good collection of Braille, Childrens and Students. Reading hall is maintained well and is well used. Has an Aavin Milk Parlour in Campus. Nice overall experience.

The place where you realizes and relaxed and make......paradisess

Best place to find all booksGood infrastructure and clean environment

Very good atmosphere, many books to read. Even if you have your own books, you could read it in own books sectionAll sections are there even unique section like geology, archaeology, medical sciences, law etc., is also thereTotally 7 floors of overflowing knowledge with good peaceful surroundings check the below picture for the sections in the library

Excellent place to take children out to for a day. The library opens by 9-10AM and closes by 6-7PM. They have so many books that its frankly amazing that such a huge collection could have even been collected.There are sections for regional books, childrens books, science, maths, history and other popular categories as well. Actually, there are books for pretty much everything. Food isnt great but there are a few restaurants and shops outside the library.

Too many books at one place... Good. But no proper keeping books. Its scattered everywhere. No proper restrooms.. maintenance is very poor.. no bags allowed inside. Only water bottle and materials to take notes allowed. But Water to be kept outside the reading hall..

A huge public library with impressive infrastructure. A large variety of books for all age groups are availiable. Completely Air conditioned. The services on offer surprised me as they are providing it for free, ofcourse being a government library. The staff were also very friendly. Very impressive indeed. Security is also very good.

Seriously best library in Chennai for book worms but still the maintenance which they do in restroom really makes us feel bad. Apart from that everything fines to be classy. Unlimited books can be available. Starting from childrens book, journal, Tamil books, fiction etc.

We are lucky at times when our elected representatives put our interests first. Thats what I feel while walking into the Library. The leaders who designed this library deserve all the appreciation for the respect they have for the common people. I really wish all he public places and facilities reach and retain this standard. I have spent at least 500 hours in this library. One can forget the time and dissolve in the peace of this space with the rich collection of books under any section. The layout of the place is so good. The glass walls, the racks, the furniture. Everything makes our time worth it. Excellent parking facility, food and refreshments at affordable costs and presence of good restrooms. One can feel safe and comfortable here. Childrens section is so beautifully designed. Must go place for families and visitors to Chennai. I hope and pray the government continues to maintain the place in all its glory

A readers paradise. One can find books of any category here. Extremely peaceful, well lit and plenty of space to relax and read

Paradise for knowledge seekers and book lovers. Request every state to set up such big libraries and welcome everyone to make best use of it.The best library Ive visited. As a vivid reader, I spend a significantly time reading everyday, and this was the best place I could stumble upon. Has a very wide range of books categorised and neatly divided along 8 floors. Very well organised and the staff is friendly. They are welcoming to anyone irrespective of age or interests. Open from 08:00 hrs to 20:00 hrs, 7 days a week. Reading experience is excellent. Kids too should spend more time here enriching their curious minds.Reminds me of Indias ancient libraries.

Best library but needs more care.. Writing this review after todays visit.PROs:::1. One of the best places to read.2. Laptops are allowed inside but you need to get a token.3. Spacious parking.4. Great kids section. During summer holidays they have activities most of the time.5. You can bring your books and read too6. Neatly air-conditioned so no worries on climate.7. Really silent, even you could hear the small sounds.8. Good connection with citys public transportCONs::1. No maintenance whatsoever2. Toilets are not clean3. Most of the RO units (water units) are not in4. The food court here did not have even fans.CONCLUSION: IF U LOVE READING & CAN IGNORE THESE SMALL NEGATIVES THEN THIS IS A VERY GOOD PLACE TO EVEN SPEND YOUR FULL DAY READING..

This is the best place to grow your knowledge probably in the whole of India. A vast variety of books are available here. The library is as big and as quiet it can be. The library campus is well maintained and the books are periodically refreshed. There is no membership options available here, so you will not be able to borrow any books. You are guaranteed a fully satisfied study session here!!!!

My second home... heavenly experience..😊😊👌.. wide ranging books with excellent facilities and breathtaking views.. can be better maintained

Wonderful library, lots of books across various walks of life. Children section is excellent. On the downside the rest rooms are a sorry state. Hope they do something about it.

Best place for book worms nice service and best spot for learning and peace mind.Adorable (service) is the best thing I experienced 👍👍.

Entrance is free here... One of the Biggest library in south Asia...In the floor we can bring laptop and mobile phones to study...Parking free, locker free, toilet in each floor, canteen facility...... Nice ambience with comfortable reading environment....

The best library in Chennai or even all over tmailnadu can say. Air-conditioned. With security, free car and bike parking, free water and toilets inside. Just need to sign with you name and get in. You get access to tonnes of books on all subjects. Each floor and angle has different subject matters and its in floor index you may find. Apart from that my precious ones are on the 7th floor , olaichuvadi which is more than 1000 years old have been kept but specially this floor isnt open for everyone to touch the chuvadi unless they are Tamil pandit or scholars who can read old Tamil writings. Hebrew, urudu, Sanskrit , Spanish and french and others languages all there. A must visit place for reader kind people in Chennai.

Good time to spend reading. Good ambience. Vast book collection. Needs some periodic government maintenance. A place, where even Chennai people arent much aware of. Good place to read without any disturbance.

The place actually closes at 2 PM like it says in the website information. I personally went at about 1.30 and returned right away as it was almost closing time.I saw a review that said its open until around 6 pm. Dont get confused like I did.

Student friendly? Definitely no. Every day creating new issues and disturbing the peace of many students who utilize the own book section. First they refused to extend the time beyond 2pm (edit: after so many protests it is has been extended). Second they do not allow students to sit on the floor if the chairs are not available. If the tokens issued are over, then you can atleast put a sign outside that all rooms are full. Why allow people inside the own book section and then asking them to get out as if giving a punishment? Management seriously needs to take this into review. Thirdly for the substandard restrooms you people maintain providing 2 stars is definitely over the top.

This is Asias largest library. Pride to chennai. The place is perfect to sit and study. Well maintained with centralized AC, but needs attention to cleanliness in restroom. Food court lacks water occasionally. 7 floor with different sections. 3 study rooms available. Open to public. Open on all 7 days. Food court and aavin store available for refreshments.

The place is amazing with lot of books to read and also seperate place for reading your own notes and books.Everyone must atleast visit this place once, if you visit you will fall in love with this place.

The real treasure of knowledge, every one must visit and use the opportunity of grow the knowledge, confidence and etc....free entry to all, Fully airconditioner, huge 8 floor building full of cover glass, clean and silent ambiance, lacks of books, hmm...lot to say.. thanks for tamilnadu government. Especially Dr.M.Karunanidhi. Ex. C.M. we dont know we can get in future this kind of wise man again in our lifetime.

Anna Centenary Library is one of the biggest library in South Asia with good collection of books. You can find most famous title of books here. Apart from books this library provides you reading room where you can bring your books and read. If you are aspirant of any competitive exams, this is the right place as you can find others of the same category.This library is Fully air-conditioned with lifts and escalator. Though it has all this merits, lending of books are not yet started due to some political reasons( The libary was setup by DMK govt. ) This library has very good kids section with different genre of books and computers. Recently this library management is started organizing Story telling sessions for kids during Sunday and camps during summer.Also they bring celebrity writers for interaction during every Saturday. Library has only refreshing Aavin stall where milk and milk related products available. A good place to have quality time by reading books.

Good place to study. Need proper maintenance.Rest rooms worst conditions.

Gud selection but not so recent.Maintenance nt great.

It is a vast Library, the largest in South Asia. It is located in Kotturpuram.The library has a large collection of books and is a Book_Lovers_Paradise❤It has an amazing childrens section.It also has own book reading section.allowed#Timings: 9AM - 8PM#Public Library: No need to any member fees!#Borrowing of books not allowed!

Wonderful place for all the book lovers out there!! Peaceful ambience, good centralised air-conditioning and aesthetic chairs for long duration reading. A great collection of books second to none in tamilnadu. Use the computers there to find the location of the books u want. Do not miss the 7 th floor” olai chuvadi” section. It is just mesmerising to look at the collection there.CONS :-All the restrooms in all the 8 floors are in RUINS. I mean it literally cannot be used at all. So no toilet facilities in a multi- crore state of the art library. Oh politicians, what a shame!!-And the food court there by women self help group is good. But it has no AC or fan or taps to wash ur hands. Another eg. of the pitiful state of our dear government.Other than that, everyone should visit the library just to look around it. What a great place !!!!

Excellent library in Chennai. Canteen is available. Aavin parlor is inside the library. Lift facility, escalator and stairs are well maintained. Different sections in different floors. Lots of books from Indian authors to foreign authors available. Borrowing is not provided. All competitive examination books are available. Lovely garden. Spacious car and two wheeler parking. Continuous maintenance have to be followed.

Educational center in Chennainear by sites Birla Planetarium, Anna University and Adayar Cancer instituteBus : 21G Tambaram to High courtStop : KotturpuramImportant place in chennai to visitTotal 8 FloorsGroup Floor = Braille and Own Book sectionseparate floors for Medicine, Engineering, History ,Geography , Literature and etcContain huge number of booksEnjoy : Read and learn 👍

This is the place where i love to study.The peace, the infrastructure , the collection is just woah.And the last one is regarding the dedicated staff, they are so coordinated & cooperative.

The Anna Centenary Library is an established state library of the Government of Tamil Nadu. It is located at Kotturpuram, Chennai. It is built at a cost of ₹172 crores. It is named after a former chief minister of Tamil Nadu, C. N. Annadurai

Silent, well maintained, free parking, refreshment canteen are the highlights. Huge collections of very good books. Kids has a separate floor for books and computer games. Nice place to spend time with your kids with some reading.

Has every book you could think of. Remember, you CANNOT borrow books though! Open from 9:00 to 20:00.

One of the libraries with vast collections of books. Patience is a must to find your books. A treasure of a place. People inside should be little more quiet and follow strict hygienic measures.

One of best for Peace ♥️

The three star is for the best book, spacious reading rooms, good tables and chairs.The two stars are reduced for the unhygienic toilets and poorly maintained canteen.Only aavin store is available for nourishment. Laptops and iPads are allowed inside after a security check. There are Braille room and study halls for students. Many competitive exam preparing students come to study here.I have written to govt asking for better sanitation and food court facility. But no response. Awaiting for witnessing the changes soon.

Ample space to read leisurely and has every kind of book that youd like to read on any subject. Although the infrastructure is very poorly maintained and there is lack of internet facilities.

Very good place to improve your knowledge. Good and neat in atmosphere. All kind of books available in single place..

The watchman in those library are misbehaved with me using u parliamentary words when I entered wrong way thru the Library

Its an amazing place to visit, the library was beyond my expectation, good place to gain knowledge

Wow, wonderful, marvelous, mind boggling structure. Kudos late ex CM Kalagnar Karunanithi. Though I disapprove many of his deeds , this one, indeed great. Hats off to him.Great ambiance. Library lounge, fully air conditioned with lots and lots of books. Big car, bike parking area. Computer based checking availability of books. Great experience. I love to visit again

Very useful place for students and teachers and more there are various types of books and cool place for the kids and we can make them addict to the place for books really I appreciate to go through their for books and more

Nice and comfy place good collection of books... But unfortunately the authorities are very much careless about the maintenance...

Its a very comfortable space. I owe my degree and all of my papers to this library. I can still pick up a book where I left it four years ago. Its well organized by Indian standards. Would love it if the canteen gets revamped. The bathrooms are wack. The ambience feels like a library from a high school rom-com, only no boys. So yay!

What a wonderful place.. millions of books.. all free with AC. Super architecture.

Best place ever. We have to Thank the man for bringing such a beautiful and useful building into existence. This library is the main reason I completed my research without trouble. This library is so peaceful and perfect to study. You have almost every book needed. The food court is surprisingly disappointing. You better take some food if you are gonna stay long. The avin cafe is good. The entire structure is so well maintained. But the security needs to be strong. I once came across a mentally ill person creating a fear among the readers in the 3rd floor.

Amazing place. A quite place to read books. Watch netflix or maybe complete an assignment. Allows all types of devices. Books are not lent here.

Nice place but rest room should be maintained well.

Everything is fine but still It would be highly appreciated if they extend the closing time. 2pm seems very early.

This is one of the bigest and best library located in chennai.It has lots of collections of books from all the subjects.This library has big parking space.All the staffs who working in this library are good as friendly.They are very helpful.This library having clean restrooms.

Well maintainedVast area fo ParkingPakka safety for girls, kids and womens..

Good place for knowledge for all age groups .

Have spacious own book reading sections well maintenance good helping staff Xerox tàking facility is available aavin is there for refreshing

The Anna Centenary Library (ACL) is an established state library of the Government of Tamil Nadu.It is located at Kotturpuram, Chennai. It is built at a cost of ₹172 crores (₹1,720 million).It is named after a former chief minister of Tamil Nadu, C.n.Anna durai.The average number of persons who visited the library between January and October 2011 is around 26,500, compared to the monthly average of 20,000 in 2010.It is built at a cost of ₹172 crores.Opening hours:Monday8am–2pmTuesday8am–2pmWednesday8am–2pmThursday8am–2pmFriday8am–2pmSaturday8am–2pmSunday8am–2pmMembership Fee DetailsAnnual Subscription Fee1.Individual  Rs.250/-Rs.100/-2.Family  (Adult – 2 Persons + Children -2 Persons)Rs.500/-Rs.200/-3.Senior Citizen  Rs.100/-Rs.50/-4.Students  Rs.150/-Rs.75/-

Its a nice place to focus on our studies...its open only till 2pm..we suggested them to extend till 6pm,but they are not listening to students request...the working people out there dont even forward our message to the higher officials....so, please extend the working hours of library.

Other than rest room everything good

Peaceful place to read books,magazines and own books too....

Such a vast collection of books! There are separate floors for each section. Great place to study and read.

Best library in Chennai📖📖 they maintain silence well..but tha maintanence is worst

User privacy is not respected here. Signature is requested at the entrance of every floor where anyone can see. incredible.No Wi-Fi. Bad mobile signal to connect to internet.

THE best library in Tamilnadu, probably in all of India. I was fortunate that this library was opened during my days in Chennai and used to frequent it whenever possible. 5-star hotel style library right next to Anna University. Their kids section is the best I have seen in any library ever. Sad that the opposition party is trying to undermine the legacy of Kalaingar by not maintaining the library properly. It was a shame that JJ attempted to convert it into a hospital out of spite.

For the amount of books in here and the facilities that were to be provided I should be giving 5star rating but due to horrible maintenance its not even worth one star.One must think that the sheer amount of books are enough to drag any book lover in.. but no the ambiance that a library provides plays a huge role.The ACs were not functioning and esp. in peak summers its like a furnace inside, huge crowds, with not enough chairs and people piled up on the floor with hardly any space. Few floors were just locked up for not particular reason at all.Getting in and out of library is not an easy task either and hence one would definitely want to use the rest room atleast once if one were to be in the library for sometime but even just passing by the restrooms you would make you think twice about entering. Restrooms are the worst. Again out of the two, one would be locked or broken and the other not maintained properly.To a certain extent the authorities have to take up the responsibility of maintaining the library but all of us must realise that we also have an equal role in helping them to maintain it.This review was based on my huge disappointment towards our poor maintenance of one of the state of the art libraries. Urge you all and the authorities to be a little mindful.

Lovely peaceful place.. repository of books... Directions are in Tamil though.. But still the best and the biggest library in Chennai!!!

Best library in india has all the books i need even has braille books for blind once and different sections for junior senior and others also has a very friendly watchman and very silent rooms and librarians are also very helpful and also has free car and two wheeler parking service and the food court is also neat and tidy and has books of all subjects and we can also take all stationary items inside and it also has a space to keep our water bottle and it is really the bestest and the most largest library in asia

Anna Centenary Library is well Organised and Silent atmosphere to study various Competitive exams and for knowledge too.

One of the largest and best libraryMust visit

My 2nd home for reading purposes

One of the best place for reading books 😍😍

Best place in chennai to develop our knowledge. One place for any type of book.Kids section, law books, accounting, engineering, travel, magazines, newspapers etc,. Separate study place is impressive. Spacious parking area. Take home not allowed. No registration required. Flexible furnitures for long sitting. Awesome interior design. Easy searchable.

This library is good and it has more than 500000 lakhs books u may visit and read the book by going there no entry fee it free for all it will open 9am and closed at 10pm so who ever want to go and read there interested books they can go and u may also read for competitive exams books

Is the own book section open ? If open what is the timing ?

The best library of all.. food court is there.. everything u need is available over here..

Best atmosphere to study, it has world class infrastructure. And it also has own books section in which you can read your own books bringing from your home. But only flaw is it doesnt have seperate textbooks section like connemara.Students gets difficulty to find their textbooks.