Genesis and Development of Public Library in Nineteenth Century Bengal : A Historical Analysis (উনিশ শতকে বাংলায় সাধারণ গ্রন্থাগারের উন্মেষ ও বিকাশ : একটি ঐতিহাসিক বিশ্লেষণ)

Abstract

The genesis and development of modern public library is a consequence of and one of the worth-mentioning incidents of those far-reaching changes that began to take shape of in the domain of art literature, society, culture and so on in the Nineteenth century Bengal. With the spread of English Education a special curiosity about Western science and epistemology gathered among newly educated Bengalees. To gratify this curiosity and culture studies they feel the need to set up public library. In that period, a few western educationists and a genteel class of Bengal become enthusiastic to eradicate illiteracy and spread mass education; and to this effect was established the Calcutta public library as the first public library of undivided Bengal in 1836. Inspired by the principles of this library one after another public library began to be setup in different districts of Bengal gradually after the establishment of Calcutta Public Library. The present essay attempts to adumbrate the Calcutta public library as well as other centuries-old public libraries that were established in Nineteenth century Bengal.