The National Library of India
Housed in erstwhile home of Lieutenant-governors and Viceroys at Belvedere, Calcutta;
began as a private owned Public Library in 1836;
Dwarkanath Tagore was its first proprietor and Pyari Chand Mitra, father of Bengali novel, was its first Librarian;
Lord Curzon converted it into a national institution.
With the enactment of delivery of Books (Public Libraries) Act, 1954, and subsequent amendment in 1956, it has been receiving one copy each of all publications published in the country including periodicals and newspapers. Thus compilation of Indian National Bibliography was made possible.
