 The state of West Bengal is located in the eastern part of India. It is recognized as India's fourth-most populous state and occupies an area of about 88,750 square kilometers. This state has a population of over 91 million. Taking care of the education of the masses of West Bengal are boards and institutions like Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations, Central Board for Secondary Education, West Bengal Board of Secondary Education, National Institute of Open School, University of Calcutta, Jadavpur University, Indian Institute of Technology (Kharagpur), Indian Statistical Institute etc. Apart from these boards and institutions, West Bengal has several libraries which serve as significant sources of information and wisdom for the students. Some of the libraries of West Bengal are Asiatic Society of Bengal Library, National Library of India, State Central Library, Ramkrishna Mission Institute of Culture Library, Indian Statistical Institute Library, Uttarpara Public Library, Kolkata Little Magazine Library and Research Centre, North Bengal State Library, American Library and British Council Library.
Asiatic Society of Bengal Library  The Asiatic Society of Bengal Library holds a collection of about 1, 49, 000 books. This library has books dating back to the latter portion of 18th and the early part of the 19th century. About 47, 000 manuscripts are available in this library in as many as 26 scripts. This library is also a storehouse of about 80, 000 journals. Some of the renowned books of this library involve an edition of Holy Quran, a manuscript of Padshanamah engraved with the royal signature of the Mughal emperor, Shah Jahan and also a manuscript of the Gulistan text.
National Library of India The National Library of India is said to be the biggest library in the nation and is located in Kolkata. This library is governed by the Ministry of Culture, Government of India. It aims to assemble and conserve all kinds of printed matter which is produced in the country. Books and periodicals in Bengali, Assamese, Hindi, Gujarati, Kashmiri, Malayalam, Kannada, Marathi, Punjabi, Odiya, Urdu and several other Indian languages are available in this renowned library. However, it also possesses collections in West Asian, African and some other foreign languages. 
State Central Library The State Central Library is one of the most important regional libraries of West Bengal as it is the main library organization of the entire library system in this state. Established in the year 1956, this library was later moved to the area of Ultadanga in the city of Kolkata during 1996. This six-storied building is well-equipped with modern facilities and is well connected to the rest of the state. The Raja Rammohun Roy Library Foundation supports this library in incorporating the various schemes and principles of the public libraries and therefore this library is known as the crucial controlling centre of other libraries. Ramkrishna Mission Institute of Culture Library Ramkrishna Mission Institute of Culture Library boasts of a great collection of books and periodicals. More specifically, this library has more than 2, 03, 766 books, about 424 foreign and Indian journals and also research oriented books on Indology. Readers will be welcomed by several other books in the genres of Social Sciences, Humanities and other fields. Scholars and professors often pay visit to this library as they obtain a great deal of research and study matter. Indian Statistical Institute Library The library of Indian Statistical Institute is believed to be amongst the wealthiest libraries in the nation, especially in the spheres of statistics and other connected fields. In this library readers will observe above 2, 00, 000 volumes of journals and books. More specifically, it has technical and scientific journals and books on statistics and mathematics. This library also has microfiches, maps, official documents, microfilms, reprints and reports. Uttarpara Public Library Located in a town called Uttarpara on the banks of Hooghly River, the Uttarpara Public Library was erected by Babu Jaykrishna Mukherjee and the common masses are permitted to access it since the year 1859. The West Bengal State Government has proclaimed this library a 'Group A' library. As of now, this library is a home to about 65, 000 new books, 45, 000 ancient books belonging to the 17th and 19th century, 20, 000 new periodicals and 450 unique manuscripts. Kolkata Little Magazine Library and Research Centre  Kolkata Little Magazine Library and Research Centre was established on 23rd June, 1978 by Sandip Dutta. It is a private library of West Bengal. Initially, this library possessed only a few periodicals but with the passage of time it became famous as the library with the greatest collection of alternative magazines. There exists about 60, 000 little magazines, alternative periodicals, experimental periodicals and radical magazines inside the Kolkata Little Magazine Library. Readers will come across nearly 2, 000 poetry books and books written in Hindi and English languages.
North Bengal State Library Various rare and useful manuscripts and classic 'Punthis' which are hand-written palm leaves and paper, ancient journals, reports, official documents, etc. exist in the North Bengal State Library. This library is considered to be the greatest library in North Bengal and it is based in the city of Cooch Behar. One will observe different documents associated with the royal court in this library. This library is referred to as a treasure trove of the kingdom of Cooch Behar. American Library Formerly recognized as the United States Information Service (USIS) Library, the American Library belongs to the Public Affairs Office of the American Consulate General, Kolkata. Its goal is to communicate and spread the knowledge about the culture, traditions and policies of the United States through its innumerable books, periodicals, magazines, journals, CD-ROMs and digital library section. The subjects of such documents are mainly American history, business management, international relations, social sciences, American literature, U.S. Government, HIV/AIDS and numerous others. British Council Library The British Council library is a popular library in Kolkata which represents the best kinds of books from United Kingdom and it boasts of a large collection for Indian readers. Currently, this library contains 14,000 e-journals and 80, 000 e-books and a vast number of documents in various disciplines comprising Education, Society, Arts and English. Readers will discover several audio books, newspapers, DVDs and UK periodicals attributed to the above mentioned subjects. |
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Libraries in West Bengal
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