The Banaras Hindu University Library
system, the largest University Library System in the country, germinated from a
small but precious collection donated by Prof. P.K. Telang
in the memory of his father Justice K.T. Telang in
1917 and housed in the Telang Hall of the Central
Hindu College, Kamachha. It was nurtured in its
infancy by the renowned historian Sir Jadunath
Sarkar. With the University taking shape at its present premises, the library
was also shifted in 1921 to the Central Hall of the Arts College(now
Faculty of Arts) and then in 1941 to its present majestic building built with
the munificent donation from Maharaja Sayajirao Gaekwad of Baroda, on the pattern of the great library British
Museum in London on the suggestion of Pandit Madan
Mohan Malaviya, the founder of university, after his
return from the Round Table Conference, London in 1931. Its majestic circular
Central Hall has been furnished with elegant furniture's made of famous and
rare variety of Burma Teak woods.
Beginning with a small but precious
donated collection, its grew by leaps and bounds with magnificent donations of
personal and family collections from many eminent personalities and families like
Lala Sri Ram of Delhi, Jamnalal
Bajaj of Wardha, Roormal Goenka, Batuk Nath
Sharma, Tagore Family collection, Nehru Family collection, etc. amongst a score
of others and purchase of books and journals out of the regular fund with the
result that it has a collection of around 60,000 volumes in 1931 itself. The
trend of donation of personal and family collection to the library continued as
late as forties with the result that it has unique pieces of rarities of books
and journals dating back to 18th century.
With this sound footings and
background, the library took long strides during sixties and seventies in its
development and metamorphosed in a system of libraries with the establishment
of institute, faculty and departmental libraries during the period. Presently
the Banaras Hindu University Library System consists of Central Library at apex
and 3 Institute Libraries, 8 Faculty Libraries, 25 Departmental Libraries, with
a total collection of over 13 lakh volumes to serve the students, faculty
members, researchers, technical staff of fourteen
faculties consisting of 126 subject departments of the university.