The National Library, foremost among the libraries in India, is one of the four designated libraries entitled to receive under the Delivery of Books and Newspapers (Public Libraries) Act, 1954 a copy of every publication published anywhere in the country. The library is a permanent depository of all reading and printed materials produced in India, or written by any foreigner, wherever published and in whatever language.
The origin of the National Library is traced to the former Calcutta Public Library, established in the first half of the 19th century. The Calcutta Public Library was established largely at the initiative of Mr. J. H. Stoqueler, the Editor of the Englishman.
