LAHORE - Situated in the Jinnah Garden, Quaid-e-Azam Library is considered a high profile research and reference library of Pakistan which caters the needs of research scholars and graduate students.
The Library was constructed in the mid of 19th century during the British rule. The building comprises Lawrence and Montgomery halls. It was used as an assembly room for public meetings and staging theatrical and musical performances. The building was also known as Old Gymkhana. The library has the capacity of 250 readers.
Currently, an extension has been made by constructing two basements in either side of the building. It has an adequate collection of books and periodicals and a serene reading environment. According to the chief librarian, new treasurers of books are added each year. A good number of microfilms of rare documents, journals and newspapers are also available for the researchers. Newspaper clipping files on 130 topics are also maintained. The computerised cataloguing, reading and research facilities through the internet are available for research scholars, students and general public. Six online public access catalogue terminals have been installed in the library to facilitate the readers to search reading material. Library’s catalogue is accessible through its website. It offers six types of memberships including student, general, research scholar, lifetime, honorary and causal membership. The Quaid-e-Azam Library has a collection of 125, 000 books in English and Urdu, Arabic and Persian languages. It has an excellent auditorium/exhibition hall, which is being used for hosting exhibitions and holding seminars on the promotion of library science and research methods. Conferences, workshops and lectures are arranged in the auditorium. It opens from Monday to Saturday.
The micro films of Paisa Akhbar, Civil & Military Gazette, Comrade and Eastern Times are a valuable collection. The Quaid-e-Azam Library is an autonomous body functioning under a board of governors headed by CM.