35,000 books at Lahore museum to be transferred into e-library

LAHORE - Over 35,000 books of the Research and Reference Library at Lahore Museum are being scanned and converted into an e-library. The project will be completed in 1.5 years, says Deputy Librarian Muhammad Ameen.

"Eighty percent of the 35,000 books have been digitalized, whereas 500 ancient books have been scanned and saved in PDF format,” said Ameen, “Book lovers come here from distant locations and now they can access books from the comfort of their home."

Two university students, Aqsa and Humera, who came to the library for research purpose, said that the e-library would help them with their assignments. "I come to the library for studying history and now I can study from home,” said Humera.

The rare books and historical records can be accessed on the e-library for free, but there would be a price for downloading it.

The library was established in 1894 and has books on religion, history, literature and many other subjects.  Some of their notable collections include The Journal of Indian Art and Industry Vol. 11-14, pre-partition newspapers, Advanced Textile Design by William Waston, and books on World War I and World War II.