The Kathmandu Valley Public Library at Bhrikutimandap reopened on Wednesday, 114 days after it was locked over a long-running dispute concerning unpaid rent for property owned by the Social Welfare Council (SWC).

The locks were removed in the presence of representatives from the SWC, the District Administration Office in Kathmandu, Kathmandu Metropolitan City- 28 and the library management. The reopening followed a decision taken on Tuesday by Minister for Women, Children and Senior Citizens Sita Badi, under which the library will temporarily operate under the council.

The library had remained closed since April 13 after the council padlocked the premises, citing unpaid rent for two buildings at Bhrikutimandap.

Khaga Nath Regmi, the council’s head of administration, said the council had formally requested the presence of library representatives to reopen the premises after deciding to assume operational responsibility.

In response, Govinda Raj Pokharel, president of the Kathmandu Valley Public Library Society, authorised library manager Lila Prasad Bhattarai to represent the organisation during the reopening process.

The public library occupies Buildings 34 and 68 within the Bhrikutimandap complex.

The dispute dates back to the expiry of the lease agreement between the council and the library in 2009. Although no formal lease renewal was signed, the library society continued paying rent at a 75 percent concession previously granted by the council, arguing that it operates as a non-profit public institution.

The council, however, later demanded full rent and claimed the library owed Rs28.5 million in accumulated dues, bringing negotiations between the two sides to a standstill.

Bhattarai said the library’s day-to-day operations under the council have yet to be defined.

Cleaning of the premises began immediately after the locks were removed on Wednesday, with the library expected to resume services to readers by August 10. However, the operating modality under the council remains unclear, leaving uncertainty over how the institution will function in the long term.

Questions were also raised during Wednesday’s reopening ceremony over the legal basis for the government's unilateral decision to place the library under the council’s management.

Representatives of the library argued that the institution had continued operating as a registered non-profit organisation, paying rent under previously agreed terms, conducting annual audits and serving the public for more than two decades.

They also questioned how the government could assume control of an institution built largely through public contributions and philanthropy. Around 70 percent of the library's collection has been donated, while its operations have long depended on annual membership fees of Rs300 paid by about 3,000 members, alongside contributions from donors.

Following nearly an hour of negotiations, representatives of the council, the library society and library users reached a two-point agreement.

According to Bhattarai, the agreement states that the locks would be removed immediately while the keys would remain with the Kathmandu Valley Public Library Society rather than the council. The library will reopen to readers within five days after cleaning and basic management work are completed.

Before the closure, the library society had sought intervention from Kathmandu Metropolitan City after the council demanded full rental payments.

Although the library previously received regular or occasional financial support from the Ministry of Education and Sports, the Bagmati Provincial Government and Kathmandu Metropolitan City, those grants have largely dried up in recent years, placing the institution under severe financial strain.

Operating the library costs around Rs10 million annually.

The closure prompted widespread criticism from writers, academics, readers and civil society members, who argued that a public reading space should not have been shut down because of a rental dispute.

Established in 2003, the Kathmandu Valley Public Library houses more than 50,000 books, about 70 percent of which have been donated by individuals and organisations. It has also received equipment support from national and international partners.

The library has around 5,000 annual subscribers and receives an average of 150 readers each day.

According to a 2022 study conducted by the Ministry of Education and Sports in collaboration with READ Nepal, the country has 927 public and community libraries.

Writer and editor Bimal Acharya, who has campaigned for the preservation of the library, welcomed its reopening but said the government should move quickly to establish a transparent management framework.

He also urged the authorities to consult the library’s founders, donors, philanthropists and other stakeholders before making any long-term decisions on its governance.