Major project to digitize historic Quaid-e-Azam Library launched

A major project to digitize the historic Quaid-e-Azam Library has been launched to bring it in line with modern requirements

LAHORE, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 12th Mar, 2026) A major project to digitize the historic Quaid-e-Azam Library has been launched to bring it in line with modern requirements.

According to details, under this project, the target has been set to make most of the library’s academic and research collections available online in the next two to three years, while the plan to establish a “Jinnah Corner” in the library has also been completed, which is expected to be inaugurated after Eid.

Director General Punjab Libraries Kashif Manzoor said in a statement that Quaid-e-Azam Library is not only considered one of the important reference and research libraries in Lahore but also in the country, where there are currently about two and a half million books, while access to millions of online research resources is also being provided.

He said that under the ongoing digitization project, the library's collection is being transferred to digital form in stages so that researchers and students can benefit from this intellectual capital from any part of the world.

He said that the history of the current building goes back to the mid-nineteenth century and this building was initially used as a gymnasium.

Later, the gymnasium was shifted to Zafar Ali Road and this building remained under the use of the Civil Services academy, while military offices were also established here during martial law. Later, in 1984, this building was converted into a regular library and opened to the public.

According to the Director General of Punjab Libraries, the Quaid-e-Azam Library is primarily a reference and research library where encyclopedias and other research materials are provided especially for researchers. However, students preparing for CSS and PMS and other competitive exams also come here in large numbers and benefit from the academic environment.

On the other hand, students using the library say that the book collection available here provides them with authentic information. According to CSS candidate Ghulam Murtaza, there is a lot of material available online, but its accuracy is questioned, while authentic references are found in books.

According to various CSS preparation students, many official documents, records and rare books are still not available online, so the library is still an important and reliable source of information for research and educational purposes.