Ch Bakht Yar Zafar

Author:   Faizan Irfan

Mphil scholar (Punjab University)

Lecturer Library Science (Govt. Associate College, Safdrabad)

National Library of Pakistan

This article is about the National Library of Pakistan. Hopefully, you will enjoy reading this.

Introduction

In 1951, under the Department of Archives and Libraries, a skeleton National Library was founded. Liaquat Memorial Library was merged with the National Library in 1954 and renamed Liaquat National Library. Basically, the Liaquat National Library was renamed Liaquat Memorial Library after the country’s new capital was established. ECNEC approved the scheme for the establishment of the National Library of Pakistan in Islamabad in 1963. However, due to a delay in the approval of the architectural plans and the low priority accorded to the project, construction of the Library building could not begin.

Furthermore, the plans for the library were approved in April 1980, and construction began in 1982. Finally, in September 1985, the ENCEC amended and approved the project for the establishment of the National Library of Pakistan, with a capital expenditure of Rs.130.322 million. The majority of the civil work was completed on time in June 1988, and the library’s holdings and personnel moved into the new facility that same year. On August 24, 1993, the library was launched by Pakistan’s interim Prime Minister, Mion-ud-Din Ahmad Qureshi, and its doors were opened to the public.

Building of National Library of Pakistan

The National Library of Pakistan is located next to the Prime Minister’s Secretariat at Shah Rah-e-Jamhoriat. The structure has four levels and a total covered area of 168,844 square feet, with central air conditioning and heating. Serial Division, Book and Newspaper Delivery Branch, Telephone Exchange, Air-conditioning and Electric Plants are all located on the bottom floor.

Apart from this, the main entrance to the library, Reception, the Digital Information Division, the Public Canteen, the Computer section, the Record Creation section, the Acquisition section, the Planning and Research section, the ISBN Agency, the Preservation & Conservation section, the Lending Division Model Children Library, and Accounts are all located on the ground floor. The first level houses the Online Public Access Catalogue, 04 Reading Halls, Manuscript & Rare Books Department, Establishment, Seminar Room, Class Room, and Meeting Room offices, as well as the On-line Public Access Catalogue.

The top storey of the structure, the 2nd floor, houses the general Stacks as well as 14 research rooms. The book elevators, lifts, and stairwells connect all of the floors. The National Library’s Auditorium, which seats 400 people, has become a focal point for educational and cultural events in Islamabad. The National Library’s reading halls include 500 seats available for readers and research scholars.

The Infrastructure of the National Library of Pakistan

The National Library building has a covered area of 168,800 sq. ft. and was built on land measuring 500x 112ft. On four levels, it is a centrally air-conditioned/heated structure with a storage capacity of one million volumes, 500 general readers’ seats, a staff workspace, an auditorium, and other services.

Vision

The vision of NLP id following: “To become a world-class national library of the region for inspiring creativity and innovation in the country”

Activities of NLP

Conclusionly, the following objectives for the National Library have been established based on the ideological and cultural needs of the people of Pakistan and the importance of the National Library as the nation’s topmost resource centre of its literary heritage and the fountainhead of all kinds of library development in the country:

• To serve as a legal depository for all Pakistani publications unpublished
• To preserve the nation’s literary heritage for current and future generations.
• In order to preserve national bibliographic control, prepare and publish a Pakistan national bibliography and bibliographies.
• To act as a national and international book exchange.
• To act as Pakistan’s ISBN agency.
• And to encourage Pakistani libraries to share resources and adhere to bibliographic standards.

References

Retrieved from: http://nlp.gov.pk/index.html

 

Author:  Faizan Irfan

Mphil scholar (Punjab University)

Lecturer Library Science (Govt. Associate College, Safdrabad)

International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA)

The International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA) is the leading international organization representing library and information service users’ concerns. It is the library and information profession’s global voice.

IFLA was founded in 1927 in Edinburgh, Scotland at an international conference. now it has more than 1,500 Members in over 150 countries around the world. IFLA was registered in the Netherlands in 1971 and the Royal Library, the national library of the Netherlands, located in The Hague, generously provides the facilities for headquarters.

Aims of International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA)

IFLA is a non-profit organization that is autonomous, international, and non-governmental. Its aims are to:

1. Encourage the provision and delivery of high-quality library and information services.
2. Increase public awareness of the importance of good libraries and information services.
3. Represent IFAL’s members’ interests all throughout the world.

Membership of IFLA

Association Members and Institutional Members are the two basic types of voting members in IFLA. Within the broad field of library and information science, associations of library and information professionals, library and information services, and educational and research organizations are all eligible to join as Association Members. Individual library and information services, as well as all types of library and information-related organizations, are eligible for Institutional Membership. As International Association Members, international organizations in our field of interest are welcome to join.

Core Values of IFLA 

In pursuing these aims IFLA embraces the following core values:

1. The endorsement of the principles of freedom of access to information, ideas, and works of imagination and freedom of expression is embodied in Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
2. The belief is that people, communities, and organizations need universal and equitable access to information, ideas, and works of imagination for their social, educational, cultural, democratic, and economic well-being.
3. The conviction that delivery of high-quality library and information services helps guarantee that access.
4. The commitment to enable all Members of the Federation to engage in, and benefit from, its activities without regard to citizenship, disability, ethnic origin, gender, geographical location, language, political philosophy, race or religion

Regional Offices of International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA)

IFLA has a Regional Office in each of the IFLA Regions: Africa, Asia and Oceania, Latin America, and the Caribbean.

Language Centers

IFLA maintains four Language Centers whose mission is to improve communication among the respective language communities as well as within the IFLA entities. These languages are

1. Arabic
2. Chinese
3. French (in Africa)
4. Russian

References

Retrieved from: http://origin-www.ifla.org/about

 

Author:  Faizan Irfan

Mphil scholar (Punjab University)

Lecturer Library Science (Govt. Associate College, Safdrabad)

Who was Melvil Dewey?

Melville Dewey (1851-1931), “Father of Modern Librarianship,” was a powerful figure. He made an indelible impression on the library profession and had a significant impact on the path it has taken. Dewey rose from humble beginnings to become a famous leader via his tireless efforts and motivating zeal. Apart from this, he was a doer and a visionary with a diverse range of professional interests.

He created library education in the United States, assisted in the formation of the American Library Association, and was the first editor of the Library Journal. Dewey was an inventor, an educator, a wonderful librarian, and a strong administrator, among other things. Much before the famous universal adult education movement, he recognized public libraries as a powerful factor in adult education.

Library Bureau

He founded the Library Bureau, a company that sells library furniture and equipment, as a commercial endeavor. However, most of us associate Melvil Dewey with his Decimal Classification. It is the most widely used categorization system in the world, with 135 nations using it. And it was first published in 1876 and is still in use today.

School of Library Economy 

Dewey became the librarian of Columbia College in 1883, and the following year he launched the School of Library Economy, the first school for librarian education ever established.

Dewey was also the director of the New York State Library from 1888 to 1906, and the secretary of the University of the State of New York from 1900 to 1900. He overhauled the state library, making it one of the most efficient in the country, and established a system of state traveling libraries and photo collections while in that position. Furthermore, he established the New York Library Club in 1885.

American Library Association Medal

The American Library Association’s Council voted in June 2019 to remove Dewey’s name off its highest prize, the Melvil Dewey Medal, citing Dewey’s history of racism, anti-Semitism, and sexual harassment. Furthermore, with no debate, the resolution was passed by a large margin. At the ALA’s January 2020 convention, the prize was renamed the ALA Medal of Excellence.

References

Following are the references for this article.

1. Satija, M.P. (1999), “Irrepressible Reformer: A Biography of Melvil Dewey”, Library Review, Vol. 48 No. 1, pp. 47-
2. 48. https://doi.org/10.1108/lr.1999.48.1.47.5 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melvil_Dewey