Calcutta Public Library (CPL)
Calcutta Public Library was established in 1836. It was not a Government institution. It was running on a proprietary basis. Every person subscribing Rs. 300/- in one payment or three instalments was to be considered a proprietor. Poor students and others were allowed to use the library free of charge for a specified period of time. The then Governor General, Lord Metcalf transferred 4,675 volumes from the library of the College of Fort William to the Calcutta Public Library. This and donations of books from individuals formed the nucleus of the library. Prince Dwarkanath Tagore was the first proprietor of the Calcutta Public Library.
Both the Indian and foreign books, specially from Britain, were purchased for the library. In the report of 1850 we find that the library started collecting books in Gujarati, Marathi, Pali, Ceylonese and Punjabi. Donations were regularly made by individuals as well as by the Government of Bengal and North Western Provinces. The Calcutta Public Library had a unique position as the first public library in this part of the country. Such a well-organised and efficiently run library was rare even in Europe during the first half of the 19th century. Because of the efforts of the Calcutta Public Library, the National Library has many extremely rare books and journals in its collection.
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