KMRDL
Kanchan Memorial Rural Development Library (KMRDL)
A community library initiative in Chautara Sangachokgadhi Municipality, Sindhupalchok, focused on access to knowledge, reading, education and local development.
A library as a community space
KMRDL serves Chautara Sangachokgadhi Municipality and the wider Sindhupalchok district, giving the community free access to books, reading spaces and learning programs. Its users include school, college and university students, teachers, Loksewa exam candidates, government employees, jobseekers, foreign-employment applicants, senior citizens and the general public, drawing from a service area of roughly 50 schools and 3 colleges.
600+ registered members · 20–30 daily visitors · approx. 300 monthly book loans · approx. 5,000–6,000 books
History
Founded 1955, revived 2022
The original library, Gram Bikas Pustakalaya, was established in 2012 B.S. (1955 A.D.) at the Shree Krishna Temple in Chautara: the first community library in Sindhupalchok District. The 2015 Gorkha earthquake (2072 B.S.) severely damaged the temple, and the library's collection could not be protected in the aftermath, resulting in an irreplaceable loss.
दुःखी प्रकाशन सामाजिक उन्नयन, the organization that established KMRDL under its constitution, began reviving the library in Falgun 2079 B.S. At revival the collection stood at roughly 3,500 books, grown since mostly through purchases, with cataloguing still done manually by catalog card.
Programs & activities
Current programs: reading programs, book discussions, educational training and computer classes.
Completed activity
Internet Governance Awareness Session
KMRDL organized an introductory session on the Internet and Internet Governance for 18 students from the Diploma in IT and Civil Engineering programs. See the full record on the Programs page.
Digital system
KMRDLMS
Kanchan Memorial Rural Development Library Management System (KMRDLMS) is a library management system being developed specifically for KMRDL, intended to replace the current manual, catalog-card system for tracking books, members and circulation. It's a digital tool in support of the library's work, not a separate organization.
In development, not yet in use.
Future development
Long-term vision (2035)
The long-term aim is a permanent, purpose-built library building with 20,000+ books and 2,000+ active members, alongside planned facilities such as a digital library, computer/AI/robotics/coding labs, a children's library, a research center, a makerspace and a community hall. A relocation to the Chautara Mini Stadium (Sports Development Committee, Sindhupalchok) is planned to provide additional space in the nearer term: not yet completed.
Visitors
Notable visits
My involvement
Library Coordinator since October 2025
I coordinate the day-to-day operations of KMRDL as Library Coordinator, a role I've held since October 2025. My full professional background is on the Experience page.
Membership & location
- Membership
- Free, no membership fee, no late fine
- Loan period
- 7 days, one renewal (reference books cannot be borrowed)
- Opening hours
- Sunday–Friday, 1:00 PM–6:00 PM
- Location
- Community Police and Development Service Center Building, Chautara Sangachokgadhi Municipality-5, Sindhupalchok, Bagmati Province, Nepal