Lucknow, March 7 -- Cafe The Bookmark and a special senior citizen section were inaugurated at Amiruddaula Public Library on Friday as part of the centenary year celebrations. Librarian Supriya Sharma shared that a cafe has been developed in the garden area of the premises. "Named 'Cafe The Bookmark,' this space has an aesthetic look. To evoke nostalgia, old-style bulbs and vintage photographs of the library and heritage messages have been installed to take you on a journey through a bygone era," said Sharma. One can read books late at night, even after the library closes. While books from the main library cannot be brought here, the cafe will house its own mini-library. For foodies, Chinese, South Indian, and Italian cuisine will be available alongside coffee, mocktails, shakes, and ice cream. Additionally, selfie points have been designed where people sitting at tables can capture their coffee, favourite book, and the classic view of the building in a single frame. Besides, a special section has been readied in the library to honour and provide convenience to senior citizens. It is equipped with comfortable sofas and good lighting. A special chair-escalator has been installed here, which can carry a person directly to the upper floor. This section will offer a vast collection of religious books, popular novels, 24 types of magazines, and 14 major newspapers in Hindi, English, and Urdu. By taking a lifetime membership of the library for Rs 1000, the elderly can read and write throughout the day. Former librarian Nusrat Nahid, who served here from 1980 to 2011, shared the library's history. She said that the library was built in memory of the Raja of Mahmudabad (who was called Amiruddaula), was once famous as 'Ulti Kothi,' which was later converted into a library. "In that era, Rs 67,000 was spent on its construction, while the budget for the inauguration programme held 100 years ago was Rs 2,194. Prior to this, all the books from the library located in Lal Baradari were also acquired by this institution," said Nahid. As part of the centenary year celebrations, a three-day photo and book exhibition was also inaugurated which will continue till Sunday. The main attraction of the exhibition was the rare book 'Turkish History,' published in 1687. Along with this, more than 100 rare photographs and over 300 rare books of the city have been displayed in the exhibition. Rekha Diwakar, secretary, Amiruddaula Public Library, and historian Ravi Bhatt were present on the occasion....