National Library of Nepal

National Library of Nepal
Name	National Library of Nepal
Native name	राष्ट्रिय पुस्तकालय
Country	Nepal
Established	1957
Location	Ramshahpath, Kathmandu
Collection size	c. 500,000

National Library of Nepal is the premier national repository located in Ramshahpath, Kathmandu, tasked with collecting, preserving, and providing access to Nepalese and international Nepal-related publications. It serves as a legal deposit and bibliographic center linked to institutions such as the Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu University, Nepal Library Association, Parliament of Nepal, and cultural agencies including the Department of Archaeology (Nepal), Nepal Academy, and National Archives of Nepal. The library functions within frameworks influenced by regional counterparts like the National Library of India, Library of Congress, British Library, and international bodies such as the UNESCO and the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions.

History

The institution's origins trace to initiatives in the 1950s involving figures connected to the Rana dynasty, King Mahendra, and early post-Rana reforms linked to the Panchayat era and the later 1990 Nepalese revolution. Early collection development involved donations from repositories related to the British Council, Indian Council for Cultural Relations, Soviet Union cultural centers, and private collections connected to scholars of Bhanubhakta Acharya and Laxmi Prasad Devkota. The library's administrative changes reflect interactions with the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology (Nepal), the National Planning Commission (Nepal), and legal deposit regulations mirroring models from the Press and Registration Act precedents and recommendations by UNESCO missions.

Collections and Holdings

Holdings include monographs, periodicals, newspapers, manuscripts, rare books, maps, and audiovisual material documenting Nepalese history, Newar culture, Tibetan Buddhism, Hinduism in Nepal, and South Asian studies parallel to collections at the National Archives of India, Royal Asiatic Society, and private collections of scholars such as Hem Raj Shakya and Dilli Raman Regmi. The manuscript collection features palm-leaf and paper codices in Sanskrit, Nepali language, Tibetan language, and Newar tied to texts like commentaries on Mahabharata, editions of works by Bhanubhakta Acharya, and liturgical texts connected to monasteries near Lumbini and Kopan Monastery. Periodical runs include titles comparable to The Kathmandu Post, Gorkhapatra, Himalaya Times, and academic journals from Tribhuvan University and Prajatantra. The cartographic holdings intersect with maps from the Survey Department (Nepal), colonial-era maps related to the Sugauli Treaty era, and travelogues by explorers associated with the Royal Geographical Society.

Services and Facilities

Services encompass reference and bibliographic services similar to practices at the British Library and Library of Congress, interlibrary loan links with university libraries such as Tribhuvan University Central Library and international exchange with institutions like Columbia University and University of Oxford. Reader services provide access to newspapers including archival runs of Gorkhapatra and scholarly journals from Prajatantra, with special reading rooms for fragile items modeled after preservation practices at the National Archives (UK). Educational programs liaise with schools such as St. Xavier's School, Jawalakhel and cultural institutions like the Nepal Academy and the Royal Nepal Academy of Science and Technology.

Organization and Governance

The library's governance aligns with statutes influenced by ministries like the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology (Nepal) and oversight bodies comparable to frameworks used by the National Library of India and recommendations by UNESCO. Administrative leadership has included directors with ties to academic circles at Tribhuvan University and professionals associated with the Nepal Library Association and the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions. Funding and policy interactions occur with entities such as the National Planning Commission (Nepal), cultural funding from the Nepal Trust for Nature Conservation and international cooperation through the British Council and Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit.

Building and Architecture

The library occupies a site in Ramshahpath near landmarks including the Ratna Park, Rani Pokhari, and government complexes such as the Singha Durbar. Its architecture reflects mid-20th-century public-building trends in Kathmandu with influences from British colonial-era public architecture visible in buildings like the Gaddi Baithak and functional design parallels to the National Museum of Nepal. The facility houses reading rooms, stack areas, climate-controlled repositories, and exhibition spaces adjacent to cultural nodes such as the Hanuman Dhoka and the Kathmandu Durbar Square region.

Digitization and Preservation

Digitization initiatives coordinate with national digitization goals promoted by UNESCO and technical partnerships with organizations like the South Asian Network for Digital Libraries and universities including Tribhuvan University and Kathmandu University. Preservation activities draw on standards and training from institutions such as the British Library conservation programmes and regional projects tied to the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD), addressing deterioration of palm-leaf manuscripts, monographs, and newspapers including archival runs of Gorkhapatra and The Rising Nepal.

Outreach and Partnerships

Outreach includes collaboration with cultural bodies like the Nepal Academy, educational institutions such as Tribhuvan University and Kathmandu University, international cultural agencies including the UNESCO Kathmandu Office, the British Council Nepal, and bilateral partners such as the Indian Council for Cultural Relations and Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit. Cooperative projects involve bibliographic exchange with the Library of Congress, training with the Asian Development Bank on knowledge management, and exhibitions organized with museums like the National Museum of Nepal and archives tied to figures such as Dilli Raman Regmi.

Category:Libraries in Nepal Category:Buildings and structures in Kathmandu Category:National libraries