The Imperial Library, which later became The National Library, was opened to the public on this day by Governor-General Lord Curzon.
The Imperial Library had been formed in 1891 by amalgamating several Secretariat libraries and Calcutta Public Library, which was established in 1936, says the website nationallibrary.gov.in.
The Imperial Library (Indentures Validation) Act was passed in 1902 and the reconstituted Imperial Library was formally opened to the public at the Metcalfe Hall on January 30 by Lord Curzon, with the intention that it should be a library of reference, a working place for students, and a repository of materials for future historians of India. It aimed to acquire every work written about India at any time.
In April 1947, the Imperial Library had a collection of about 3,50,000 volumes.
After Independence, The National Library came into being in place of the Imperial Library by the Imperial Library (Change of Name) Act in 1948. Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, the then Union Minister of education, opened the library to the public on February 2, 1953.
