Chennai: Tamil Nadu govt has suspended five library officials over the procurement of AI-generated books for the Periyar Arivulagam Library in Coimbatore.According to an announcement made by school education minister A Rajmohan on Sunday, those suspended are S Kamatchi, chief librarian, Anna Centenary Library (ACL), Chennai; Dinesh Kumar, chief librarian and information officer (in-charge), Kalaignar Centenary Library, Madurai; V Santhanakrishnan, librarian and information officer, Kalaignar Centenary Library, Madurai, and in-charge of the Periyar Arivulagam Library; S Santhana Karthikeyan, librarian and information officer, ACL, Chennai; and J Juliet, chief accounts officer, Directorate of Public Libraries (DPL).The minister said the irregularities occurred during the previous DMK govt.Sources in the DPL said the officials were part of the coordination committee that procured books for five special libraries. The alleged scamsters who supplied AI-generated books to libraries in Tamil Nadu are yet to be traced.An inquiry by officials found that more than 200 titles published by Agal Vilakku Pathippagam were suggested by the recommendation committee. “However, the 1,800 Tamil titles by the publishing house with AI-generated content could have entered the list when the library officials compiled entries from publishers to meet the target of one lakh books and placed them before the selection committee. Since the librarians were given very little time, they could not verify the authenticity of the books,” a source in the directorate said.Public libraries director R V Shajeevana did not respond to calls from TOI.The procurement of books for five new libraries — the Periyar Arivulagam Library in Coimbatore, Kamarajar Library in Trichy, Bharathidasan Arivulagam in Salem, Anjalai Ammal Library in Cuddalore and Quaid-e-Millath Library in Tirunelveli — as well as six new district central libraries was to follow a four-stage process. Subject experts from 53 domains were assigned to recommend titles, 15 scholars to shortlist them, a procurement committee to negotiate prices, and a high-level committee to grant final approval.The previous govt constituted the committees on Nov 5, 2025, and set a three-month deadline to procure one lakh books for the Periyar library’s inauguration in Feb 2026.The alleged irregularities came to light after writer Perumal Murugan identified nearly 1,800 books from Agal Vilakku Pathippagam in the library’s fourth-floor Tamil section. The books reportedly carried inflated prices, AI-generated content and misinformation, fictitious author names and invalid International Standard Book Numbers (ISBNs). Writers and researchers subsequently flagged similar irregularities elsewhere. Researchers have also raised concerns about the library’s English-language collection.Following a court order, the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC) is also conducting an inquiry into the alleged irregularities. The Madurai bench of the Madras high court has posted the library scam case for hearing on Monday.
