| State Central Library Hyderabad | |
|---|---|
 Entrance to the State Central Library | |
 | |
| 17°22′27″N78°28′42″E / 17.3742°N 78.4783°E /17.3742; 78.4783 | |
| Location | Afzal Gunj,Hyderabad, India |
| Type | State library |
| Established | 1891; 134 years ago (1891) |
| Architect | Vincent Esch  |
| Collection | |
| Items collected | books,journals,newspapers,magazines, andmanuscripts |
| Size | ~ 5,00,000 books/magazines ~17,000 manuscripts |
| Legal deposit | Yes |
| Access and use | |
| Access requirements | Open |
| Other information | |
| Website | sclhyd |
TheState Central Library Hyderabad(Telugu:స్టేట్ సెంట్రల్ లైబ్రరీ) (Urdu:کتب خانہ آصفیہ), known as theState Central Library (SCL) and earlier known asKutub Khana Asafia,[1] is apublic library inHyderabad,Telangana. The library was first established in 1891 at a location inAbids where the General Post Office is today situated.[2] The library was shifted to its present location in 1936 and today is one of the most imposing structures in the city. The building housing the library was grantedheritage status in 1998 byINTACH, Hyderabad.[3] The building has been included in2025 World Monuments Watch compiled byWorld Monuments Fund[4]
The library is located in theAfzal Gunj area, on the banks of theRiver Musi. Today the library occupies 72,247 square yards (60,408 m2) of space. The library houses half a million books and magazines including some rarePalm-leaf manuscripts. This library is the apex of the state's library system.[5]
The library today is poorly maintained and is without proper infrastructure. The furniture is damaged and the collection of books and manuscripts are not properly catalogued.[6]
The library was set up as personal library of scholar Moulvi Syed Hussain Bilgrami in 1891. It was renamed as Asafia State Library in honour ofAsaf Jah dynasty. The library was shifted to its current location in 1936. The foundation stone of the proposed building was laid in 1932 by Nizam Mir Osman Ali Khan. Around Rs 5 lakh and about 2.97 acres (1.2 ha) of land at Afzal Gunj were allotted for the construction of new building. The library was designed by British architectVincent Jerome Esch. Construction of this building was part of a proposal byM. Visvesvaraya who was appointed by the Nizam to redesign the Musi riverfront following the1908 floods. It is reported that the construction of the building was personally supervised by then State Architect and Designer Aziz Ali. After the completion of construction, the Asafia Library was shifted to the present building in 1936 to markNizam VII's Silver jubilee.[2][7][8]
In 1941, theAsafia State Library celebrated its Golden Jubilee. When the Hyderabad Public Libraries Act became law in 1955, Asafia State Library was declared as the State Central Library for theHyderabad State.[7]
An annex building was constructed in 1961 to augment the growing collection of the state library.[7]
The Library has a collection of around five hundred thousand books published since the early 19th century, andHyderabad Samachara, a monthly newspaper published byHEHMir Osman Ali Khan, Asaf Jah VII in 1941. The library had a collection of about 17,000 rare and valuable manuscripts dating back to 5th and 6th centuries which were later transferred to theAndhra Pradesh Oriental Manuscripts Library.
The first phase of computerisation and networking in libraries through e-Grandhalaya software developed byNational Informatics Centre will begin on an experimental basis inWarangal and Hyderabad. Over 40,000 books have already been digitised at SCL with the help ofCarnegie Mellon University'sUniversal Online Library Projects. The digitised works include titles inHindi,English, Telugu,Urdu andPersian languages. Carnegie Mellon University provides the funding for this project.
The library, which has been crying out for attention for many years, will finally be restored at an estimated cost of ₹7.35 crores. The restoration work is expected to be completed in 18 months,[9] and will have a digital portal where about 45,550 rare books, in Urdu, Persian, and Arabic as well as English languages.[10]
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