Vision

To become a world class national library of the region for inspiring creativity and innovation in the country.

Introduction

The foundation of the National Library of Pakistan dates back to 1951, initially established under the defunct Archives and Libraries department. In 1954, it merged with Liaquat Memorial Library and was named Liaquat National Library. Upon shifting the capital to Islamabad, it reverted to Liaquat Memorial Library.

The formal plan for establishing the National Library in Islamabad was approved by ECNEC in 1963, but construction was delayed due to design approvals and low project priority. It wasn't until April 1980 that designs were approved and construction began in 1982. The project was revised and reapproved in 1985 with a capital cost of Rs. 130.322 million. By June 1988, major civil works were complete, and the collections and staff were relocated. The Library was officially inaugurated on August 24, 1993, by Caretaker Prime Minister Moin-ud-Din Ahmad Qureshi.

The Building

Located on Shahrah-e-Jamhuriat, adjacent to the Prime Minister’s Secretariat, the Library spans four centrally air-conditioned floors over 168,844 sq. ft.

• Basement: Houses Serials Division, Delivery & Newspaper Branch, utility plants, and Telephone Exchange.
• Ground Floor: Includes Reception, Digital Information Division, Canteen, Acquisition Section, ISBN Agency, Model Children Library, and more.
• First Floor: Contains OPAC, Reading Halls, Manuscript & Rare Books Section, Seminar Room, and offices.
• Second Floor: Includes General Stacks and 14 Research Rooms.
• Auditorium: A 400-seat space used for cultural and educational events.
• Reading Capacity: Around 500 seats for scholars and general users.

Knowledge Resources

Since its establishment post-independence, the Library has grown significantly:

• Collections: Over 500,000 volumes via purchases, gifts, exchanges, and legal deposits.
• Manuscripts & Rare Books: Around 580 manuscripts and 10,000 rare books in Urdu, Arabic, and Persian from private collections.
• Special Donations: Includes 1806 volumes from Hafeez Hoshiarpuri’s collection, donated by Dr. Sabiha Hafeez.
• Microfiche Records: 3000 microfiche items of early 20th-century Indian censuses.
• Legal Deposits: 55,836 books received as per the Copyright Ordinance.
• Periodicals: 40,000 bound volumes of newspapers and journals.
• Depository for International Agencies: Including ADB, ILO, UNESCO, etc.

Legal Mandate

Under the Copyright Ordinance 1962 and its 1992 amendment, all publishers must submit the best copy of each publication to the National Library within 30 days. This ensures preservation of the country’s published heritage for current and future generations.