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Assistant
Professor ,Dept. of Information Science and Library Management, Bangladesh attained independence from Pakistan in 1971 after a bloody war. Prior to independence, Bangladesh being part of Pakistan was named as East Pakistan which had only a few libraries worth the name. This article presents an overview of library development in Bangladesh. 1 Public Libraries The Unesco Public Library Manifesto (1994) proclaims Unesco's belief in the public library as a living force for education, culture and information. Unesco, therefore, encourages national and iocal governments to support and actively engage in the development of public libraries. Public library is deemed as people's university. In compliance with the Unesco Public Library Manifesto the Government of Bangladesh has paid greater attention to the development of public libraries since the beginning of First Five-year Plan (1973-78). Two projects were included in the First Five- year Plan, providing a financial outlay of taka 2.5 crores. One of the projects was to establish five District libraries in their new buildings at a cost of Taka 58 lakh. In addition 10 public libraries were extended and four village libraries were opened as pilot projects. The first library-training institute was established in 1976 at a cost of taka 3 lakh. The second project was to further develop the Chittagong public library at a cost of taka 71 lakh and foundation stone was laid for the Rajshahi public library. 11 Second Five-year Plan (1980-85) During the Second Five-year Plan a financial outlay of Taka 5.5 crores was made. The following projects were included in the Plan. Project Outlay (Taka) 1. Development of Central Public Library 90.90 2. Rajshahi Public Library 116.40 3. Khulna Public Library 61.15 4. Chittagong Public Library 198.45 5. Thana public library cum auditorium 101.00
Public libraries were established at 100 Thana
headquarters in the year 1984. Directorate of Public Libraries was
established and the Government placed
all public libraries under its charge.
During this plan period the following projects were
completed: Project Outlay in lakhs
Development
of Chittagong
40.00
Development
of District
341.6 During the plan period 17 District Libraries were further developed and 7 new Distric Libraries were established at a cost of Taka 5.5 crorc. 13 ( Fourth Five Year Plan (1990-95)
During the period
Chittagong
Divisional Library was completed. It is
proposed to established
networks at local, district, state and national level, integrating resources of all categories
of libraries in the country. Public libraries
established by NGOs would be given
financial assistance, further develop District Libraries, and
strengthen the National Archives. The government has provided an outlay
of 150 million Taka for the
Plan period. In 2002 there
were 68 Government libraries
and 1043 NGO libraries in the country. The National Library is a repository and a symbol of nation's intellectual attainments. National library provides nation wide service through appropriate means. The National Library of Bangladesh was established by the Directorate of Archives and Libraries on August 29, 1975. Under the Copyright Ordinance of 1974 the National Library would receive copies of all the publications, both serials and monographs brought out in the country. In November 1985, the National Library moved into a seven story fully air-conditioned building in Sher-e-BangIa Nagar, Dhaka, having a carpet area of 60,000 square feet. Henceforth the National Library shall compile and publish the National Bibliography. All operations in the National Library are being computerized. The holdings of the Library numbered 10,02,000 in 2002.
3 Academic Libraries
University
Holdings in 2001
There are 665 Special libraries in the country, established since 1971.
Library
Holdings in 2001 5 Library Education
There was hardly any facility for
library education available in East
Pakistan. A certificate course in
Librarianship was started
by the Librarian of Dhaka University Library in 1952,
which was discontinued after one session
The Bangladesh
Library Association introduced
Post-Graduate Diploma course from the academic session of 1989-90. A similar
course started
at. Rajshahi University in 1991. Library and Information Science
was introduced as an optional subject in BA in
1991-92. The Rajshahi University
also started 3
year BA (Hons) course in 1992-93 The Institute of Library and Information
Management (ILIM) introduced
Post-Graduate Diploma course in 1996-97. In 2002 as many as seven
institutions offered courses in Library and 6 Library Associations
The Library Association
of Bangladesh was founded in 1956 with its headquarters at Dhaka. The
Association organizes 6-month certificate course; ten weak basic courses
in Librarianship for Army personnel and
special two-weak course on the behest of the Government of Bangladesh, in
edition to the 7 Computerization of Library Operation The following libraries are being automated:
(/)
International Centre for Diarrhoel
Disease Research, Bangladesh (v) Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET) Library (vi) Bangladesh Agricultural Research Council (BARC) Library . (vii) Public Administration Training Centre (PATC) Library (vtii) SAARC Agricultural Information Centre (SAIC) Library Table 1 Course Institution Duration
Certificate
Library Association of
Bangladesh one
year BA (Hons) Dhaka University 4 years Rajshahi University 3 years
Rajshahi
University 1 year
MPhil
Dhaka University
2 year
PhD
Dhaka University 3 year
In addition the
universities libraries of Dhaka, Rajshahi,
Chittagong, Jahangir
Nagar, Sylhet, Khulna
and Islamic University at Kustia are
being computerized. However, they have yet to start computer-based library 8 Status of Librarian
Library Profession in
Bangladesh is not yet at par with other professions, though
Librarians, Deputy Librarians and Assistant Librarians working in
universities library are equated with the faculty. Some librarians hold
class-I post. 1 Certificate should be discontinued. 2 B A (Hons) course in Information Science and Library Management should also be introduced in other universities. 3 More literature in Library Science should be published in Bengali. 4 Curricula of different courses should be brought up to date. 5 Research in Library Science should be promoted. 6 There should be greater cooperation among library schools. 7 Library standard should be evolved and enforced. 8 Special courses in information technology of one-year duration should be introduced. 9 Professional activities such as seminars, symposia and conferences should be held more frequently. 10 A separate Ministry or Department of Libraries should be established as in the States of West Bengal and Andhra Pradesh in India. 10 Conclusion
The government of Bangladesh should allocate larger
fund for library development in the country. Private philanthropy should
be encouraged by giving income tax rebate.
1. Five-year Plans, Planning Commission (Bangladesh Ministry of Planning) 2. Khan, M. Shamsul Islam. The Boi, Jan 2002, 33(6) p.28-32. 3. Ibid, p.28-32. 4. The Eastern Librarian, 1985, 11, 36. 5. The Government of Bangladesh. The copyright ordinance of 1974. Dhaka: BG Press, 1975. 6. Library Association. Five years work in librarianship. London: The Library Association, 1968:314. 7. The Dhaka University Annual Report, 1955-58.
8. Knorasani SSMA. Courses in Library Science in East Pakistan
(master 9. East Pakistan Library Association (EPLA). Some emergent problems of the book world in Pakistan. Dhaka: East Pakistan Library Association, 1968:131. 10. Ahmed S U. Librarianship and the state of libraries in Bangladesh. Dhaka: Gulnahar, 1974:120.
11. Institute for Library and Information Management (ILIM). ILIM
annual 12. Official records of the Department of Information Science and Library Management, Dhaka University, 1998. 13. Official records of the Library Association of Bangladesh, 1998. |
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