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Calcutta Public Library (CPL) Calcutta Public Library was established in 1836. It was not a Government institution. It ran on a proprietary basis. Any subscriber paying Rs 300 at one time or in three instalments was considered a proprietor. Poor students and others were allowed to use the library free of charge for a specified period of time. The then Governor General, Lord Metcalf transferred 4,675 volumes from the library of the College of Fort William to the Calcutta Public Library. These volumes and donations of books from individuals formed the nucleus of the library. Dwarkanath Tagore was the first proprietor of Calcutta Public Library. Both Indian and foreign books, especially from Britain, were purchased for the library. In the report of 1850 we find that the library has started collecting books in Gujarati, Marathi, Pali, Simhalese and Punjabi. Donations were regularly received from individuals and from the Government of Bengal and North Western Provinces. Calcutta Public Library had a unique position as the first public library in this part of the country. Such a tidy and efficiently run library was rare even in Europe during the first half of the nineteenth century. Thanks to the efforts of the proprietors of Calcutta Public Library, the National Library has many rare books and journals in its collection. |
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The Imperial Library The Imperial Library was founded in 1891 by combining a number of Secretariat libraries. Of these, the most important and interesting was the library of the Home Department, which contained many books formerly belonging to the libraries of East India College, Fort William, and the East India Board in London. But the use of the library was restricted to the superior officers of the Government.
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Amalgamation of CPL and Imperial Library Lord Curzon, Governor General of India in the early years of the twentieth century, is usually credited with the idea of opening a library in Kolkata for public use. He found that the Imperial Library and Calcutta Public Library were not being used as expected because of limited access and lack of amenities. He decided to merge the collection of Calcutta Public Library with that of the Imperial Library, subject to certain terms. |
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The new library, called Imperial Library, was formally
opened to the public on 30 January 1903 at Metcalf Hall, Kolkata. The aims
and objectives of the Imperial Library were well defined in a Notification in
the Gazette of India: ‘It is
intended that it should be a library of reference, a working place for
students and a repository of material for the future historians of India, in
which, so far as possible, every work written about India, at any time, can
be seen and read.’
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John Macfarlane, Assistant Librarian of the British
Museum, London, was appointed the first Librarian
of the Imperial Library. After his death, the polyglot scholar Harinath De
took over the charge of the library. J. A. Chapman succeeded him in 1911.
During Chapman’s term, the library experienced remarkable growth and
improvement. After his retirement, Khan Bahadur M.A. Asadulla was appointed
librarian and he continued in office till July 1947.
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The policy of acquisition broadly adhered to by the Imperial Library was
outlined by Lord Curzon in his speech at the inauguration: ‘The general
idea of the whole Library is that it should contain all the books that have
been written about India in popular tongues, with such additions as are
required to make it a good all-round library of standard works of
reference.’ From the Imperial Library to the National Library After Independence the Government of India changed the name of the Imperial Library to the National Library, with the enactment of the Imperial Library (Change of Name) Act, 1948, and the collection was shifted from the Esplanade to the present Belvedere Estate. On 1 February 1953, the National Library was opened to the public, inaugurated by Maulana Abul Kalam Azad. B. S. Kesavan was appointed the first Librarian of the National Library. Check out The Imperial Library (Change of Name) Act, 1948. Website of National Library The first official website of the National Library (www.nlindia.org) was launched on 22 January 2002 at 4.30 p.m by H. E. Sri Viren J. Shah, the then Governor of West Bengal, at the main building. The website was designed by Cyber Animatrix Pvt. Ltd. At the inauguration, H. E. Sri Shah, also released a CD ROM on the activities at the National Library. The occasion was made to co-incide with the birth centenary of Professor Nirmal Kumar Bose, the distinguished anthropologist and freedom fighter. An exhibition of his publications was also organised. |
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List of Directors and
Librarians Librarians
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Directors
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Director General
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