The strange clock seems to think that it is always the right time to read. It occupies an entire wall and appears to glow as people stop to admire its curious features. The hours on the clock face are not numbers, letters or symbols but models of famous books. The Power of 2 sits at 2 o’clock, The Five Biggest Ideas in Science at 5 o’clock, and The 7 Habits of Highly effective People at 7 o’clock.
The books hold a clue that the clock ticks in a space where a reader seeks out a certain kind of knowlege-about science, entrepreneurship, financial economics, product design, emerging science, business planning, inspiration and the works of Sudha Murthy (whose book is at 3 o’clock)-that will give them a competitive advantage.
This is the Venture Center Library, tucked away in the premises of one of India’s largest technology incubators, Venture Center in Pune, which was set up by the National Chemical Laboratory in 2006. A separate non-profit today, the center has supported more than 1,000 science-based startups since its inception. The courtyard is buzzing with innovators as they think, innovate and plan the next big disruption. The library, which contains 3,500 books, as well as magazines and journals, offers a glimpse into what such entrepreneurs read as they navigate challenges in the life cycle of a product.
Words that matter
The cosy, warmly lit space overlooks the greenery and activity outside its glass windows and houses 21 sections-ranging from Innovation, Entrepreneurship and Startups to Motivation, personality Development, Skill development, Marketing, Management, Biographies, Popular Science, and Science and Technology.One rack is stocked with market research reports and studies that might potentially be difficult to find. There are shelves with magazines that business leaders swear by-Harvard Business Review, Forbes and Entrepreneur, among other international and Indian titles.
As the clock on the
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