The country's library of record at Agargaon: more than 500,000 items, every book published in Bangladesh, and three air-conditioned reading rooms for members.
The National Library is run by the Department of Archives and Libraries in Agargaon. By law every book published in Bangladesh is deposited here, so its shelves are the closest thing the country has to a complete record of its own publishing.
The collection runs to more than 500,000 items, about 200,000 of them books in everyday use. Beyond the books there are bound runs of over a hundred Bangla daily newspapers, 309 district gazetteers from the British period, nearly 1,700 maps, and microfilm going back to 1875.
It is a reference library: books are read on site, not borrowed. Members use three air-conditioned reading rooms — one for Bangla books, one for English and one for newspapers — with Wi-Fi and photocopying, and can ask the staff for reference and research help. Membership is applied for online through myGov with a National ID or birth certificate and a photo, and takes about five working days.
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