Sufia Kamal National Public Library (সুফিয়া কামাল জাতীয় গণগ্রন্থাগার)

The Sufia Kamal National Public Library is Bangladesh's largest public library and the headquarters of the Department of Public Libraries, sited near the Shahbagh intersection in central Dhaka. Its building is being rebuilt, with a limited reader service running from the Institution of Engineers in Ramna, so it suits researchers who check arrangements first.

Opened in 1958 with 10,000 books

The foundation stone was laid in 1954, and the library opened on 22 March 1958 with just over 10,000 books. Its first building, designed by Mazharul Islam, later became the Dhaka University Central Library. It has occupied the Shahbagh site since 1978, close to the National Museum and Dhaka University. It was called the Central Public Library from 2004 to 2010, when the name of the writer Begum Sufia Kamal was restored. The library sits under the Ministry of Cultural Affairs.

Depository copies, rare books and manuscripts

As a depository library it receives Bangladeshi publications under copyright law. Its stock includes old and rare books and a small group of manuscripts. The Shahbagh building held the main reading rooms, a children's section, a large newspaper and periodicals collection and the Shawkat Osman Auditorium, a familiar venue for film festivals.

Nine storeys, auditoriums and a science library

The old building came down in 2022. According to the Dhaka Tribune, the new library will have nine storeys and two basements, auditoriums seating 525 and 340, seminar rooms, a public plaza, a science library, reference and children's sections, a women's section with daycare, and facilities for older and disabled readers. Approved in 2021 with a 2024 deadline, the project has slipped. A September 2026 Daily Observer report said a revised proposal sets December 2027 for completion and raises the cost to about Tk 620 crore.

Temporary reading room at IEB in Ramna

As of October 2026 the Shahbagh site is a construction zone. Since April 2022 a limited reader service has run from rented space at the Institution of Engineers, Bangladesh (IEB) in Ramna, with most books still boxed. Hours reported at the move were 9 am to 5 pm, closed Fridays and public holidays; confirm with the Department of Public Libraries.