Digital Library of the West Bengal Secretariat
The West Bengal Secretariat Library at Writers' Building, Kolkata, is one of the oldest and largest library under Government of West Bengal. It has a traditional and historical significance. The library has a rich collection of books dating back from the British era till date. Some of them are very rare.
The West Bengal Secretariat Library previously known as "Bengal Secretariat Library" was established in 1867.It was associated with the Bengal Secretariat, and was shifted to different places in Kolkata (the then Calcutta) along with the "Bengal Secretariat" in the past.
Since 1921, this library was under the administrative control of Education Department of the then Bengal Government of the undivided India. From 1945 it came under the control of the Chief Minister's Secretariat. After Independence, i.e., 15th August 1947 this library was brought under the control of the Home Department at Writers' Building and still continues to be under this Department.
The then Hon'ble Chief Minister of West Bengal Dr. Bidhan Chandra Roy took the initiative to develop and modernize this library. On 9th June 1961, Dr. B.C. Roy inaugurated the library on the ground floor of the F-Block of the Writers' Building.
West Bengal Secretariat Library has its collection of books mainly in English belonging to the 18th and 19th centuries. This library has a collection of round about 2 lakhs of books, of which 60,000 are categorised as rare, old, worn-out and brittle.