National Library of Bangladesh

The National Library of Bangladesh (NLB) (Bengali: বাংলাদেশ জাতীয় গ্রন্থাগার) is the legal depository of all new books and other printed materials published in Bangladesh under the copyright law of Bangladesh. It was founded in 1972, but it traces its origins back to 1891, before the Bangladesh Liberation War and its independence.

History

After the partition of the subcontinent in 1947, the government of Pakistan established the National Library of Pakistan in Karachi in 1962 and a provincial book deposit branch of the Pakistan National Library in Dhaka in 1967. In fact, that book deposit branch was the embryo of the National Library of Bangladesh which came into being after the independence of the country in 1971.

After the liberation war of Bangladesh, it was keenly felt by all quarters that a national library is indispensable for the newborn nation. Considering the necessity and importance, the government resolved to set up the National Library of Bangladesh in Dhaka. The Library first started functioning with the manpower, resources and materials inherited from the Provincial Book Deposit Branch. Later on, in 1973, the two national organizations "The National Archives of Bangladesh" and "The National Library of Bangladesh" were merged with the name "Directorate of Archives and Libraries" under the Sports and Culture Division, Ministry of Education. A new building for the National Library of Bangladesh was built in 1985 and the library was shifted to its present place, called the Jatiya Granthagar Bhavan. (literally: National Library Building) at Agargaon, Sher-e-Bangla Nagar, Dhaka. The National Library of Bangladesh is currently run by the Directorate of Archives and Libraries under the Ministry of Cultural Affairs.

Aim and objectives

To develop maintain a comprehensive National Collection, to ascertain equitable access of citizen to that collection in view of enhancing learning capacity and total competitive power of the nation as a whole in addition to collect and preserve the intellectual creative printed materials..

Collection overview

The main characteristics of the NLB Collection are that it encompasses all the major disciplines of human knowledge, i.e. Development Administration, MIS, HRD, Women empowerment, Economic, Environment and Disaster Management, etc. The specialty of the NLB's multidisciplinary National Collection is that it preserves long-term, all citizens have access, and it is based on the confluence of the country's creative/intellectual publication with the world-class latest representational books in additional special collections.

NLB collections

• Copyright collection
• National/Regional/Local periodicals: newspaper, magazines, etc.
• Government publications
• Gazette etc.
• Latest foreign world-class books

Special collections trusted to the NLB

• Dr. M. Shaidullah-Personal collection
• Khan Bahadur Nawab Ali Chowdhury collection
• Bangladesh Secretariat collection
• Actors Md. Golam Mustafa personal collection, etc.
• Mymensingh Fundamental Education Academy's collection and other's national personalities.

Sections

• Copyright Central Acquisition section
• National Bibliography section
• Bibliographical Reference/ISBN section
• Library section (Processing Reader service Ref. etc)
• Automation section
• Microfilm (Preservation) section
• Establishment section

Functions

Following are the major functions of Bangladesh National Library:

• To collect new books and other publications published in the country under the copyright law of the land.
• To compile and publish National Bibliography, Abstract and Indexes to the newspaper articles, Directory of Publishers, etc.
• To maintain and develop a national collection.
• To provide various information services to the concerned multidisciplinary users.
• To provide modern facilities of library services to the users including quick and easy retrieval through the automation of the collection.
• To preserve the library and information materials in a modern and scientific manner.
• To act as the country's international bibliographical/documentation centre, including the distribution of ISBN.
• To provide informative assistance/guidelines to the Government/Professional Associations in formulating country's Library Act, Policy, and in planning and promoting library's systems and services of Bangladesh.

Citizen Charter

The citizens have the following rights:

• Have right to long term preserve their new published creative/intellectual printed information materials published in Bangladesh territory in the current year for long term.
• Have right to publicize in and abroad the new creative/intellectual printed materials through the National Bibliography which is considered as the Cultural Ambassador in abroad.
• Have right to the access of the National Collection of multi-natural information resources.
• Have right to have modern library information service facilities including computerized list email browsing etc.
• Have right to have the statistics of creative new publications of particular year.
• Have right to have ISBN to new publication individually and by corporate.
• Have right to use under stipulated rules regulation, the exhibition gallery, air-conditioned auditorium and beautiful outdoor premises of the NLB Bhaban.

Users figure

The number of registered users per year is approximately 7,000.

Government income

• An approximate amount of Tk. 15,000 per year received as membership fee is deposited to the treasury as per government rules.
• June 2009 to December 2009 NLB auditorium rental revenue: Tk. 146,000.
• June 2009 to December 2009 NLB reprographic service revenue: Tk. 1,000.

Development projects

• One development project titled modernization of National Library is included in ADP 2008-2009.
• One development project on the digitization of the important part of National Library collection is submitted to UNESCO Dhaka.

External links

• Official site

References

1. ↑ Background information of the National Library of Bangladesh, Directorate of Archives and Libraries, Ministry of Cultural Affairs
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Administration information, Directorate of Archives and Libraries, Ministry of Cultural Affairs