"Madam, you will need to remove your footwear before stepping in," a library assistant requested us, as we made our way towards one of the most hallowed spaces inside the Asiatic Society Library housed in the Town Hall.

It was the peak of summer, and we were delighted with the air-conditioned respite that awaited us. This was over a decade ago, when yours truly was a regular at the 213-year-old library to research for a book. This is what it must be like for eskimos, we told ourselves, partly distracted by the mind-numbing temperatures, as we entered the digitisation and microfilming section. The refrigerator-like zone was necessary to ensure restored treasures in the library's care remained in mint condition, the assistant informed, on noticing our surprise at the sudden drop in temperatures. For the next hour or so, we referred to books on microfilm; it was a special experience - the first of many that we had in the sanctum sanctorum of the library.