Pioneers of the Library Movement in Pakistan
Syed Jalaluddin Haider
Abstract
This article defines the term “Pioneer.” It describes in brief the contribution of seven leaders of Pakistani librarianship — Khalifa M. Asadullah, Dr. A. Moid, Dr. Abdus Subuh Qasimi, Messrs. Muhammad Shafi, Fazal Elahi, Khwaja Nur Elahi and S.V. Hussain. Early library developments are given for better understanding of the role of these leaders.
Introduction
Pakistan, born on 14 August 1947 as an independent nation as a result of the partition of British India, was denied its rightful share of the common library resources built up over the years during British rule. All the major libraries of British India happened to be located in those areas which after partition became part of present day India. Even more disquieting is the fact that libraries which were in the territories now called Pakistan suffered a heavy loss at the hands of their Hindu employees migrating to India. The city of Lahore, once the “cradle of the library movement” had become inactive because of sad events following independence [1].
Pakistan inherited only two libraries of significance on the eve of independence. These were the Punjab University Library and the Punjab Public Library, both located in Lahore. It may be pointed out that for many years the Government did not pay attention to this sector because of other national priorities. In fact, librarianship was neglected. The establishment of the Directorate of Archives and Libraries in 1951 to administer the development of libraries was the only significant step on the part of the Government in this direction.
Under such circumstances the lead was taken by a few individuals who founded the Karachi Library Association in 1949, which started a certificate course of short duration to meet the urgent needs of library manpower in the country. This was followed by the formation of the Pakistan Bibliographical Group in 1950 with assistance from UNESCO. Taking advantage of these developments, some of these men of wisdom tried to focus the attention of the government to the need for the development of libraries through the pages of their first professional journal, Modern Librarian. These individual efforts did not produce tangible results; however, they did convince the Government of the need for library planning in the country.
Consequently, L.C. Key of Australia was invited under the Colombo Plan to prepare a library development plan for the country. Key submitted his report in 1956 [2]. The Key Plan did not materialize; yet it did influence the thinking of librarians in the country. This is evident in library developments that took place in the second half of the 1950s, particularly in Karachi, then the capital of the country. Of these developments mention may be made of the formation of the Pakistan Library Association and the establishment of the Pakistan Scientific and Technical Documentation Center, both in 1957; launching of publication of Pakistan Library Review (1958) and the promulgation of the Basic Democracy Order (1959). But the most important event of this decade was the institution of the Post–Graduate Diploma Course in Library Science in August 1956 at the University of Karachi, followed by the University of the Punjab in 1959. It must be added here that these early historical developments were possible only through the initiative and efforts of a few individuals. The library profession in Pakistan owes much to them and this article is a humble effort to pay homage to these great men.