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The
library has acquired and developed variety of
resources to support the teaching and research
programs offered at GC University Lahore. They are
well organized and easy accessible, arranged into
various sections according to the specific nature of
material and the requirements of the users. The detail
is as under:
I)
GENERAL COLLECTION:
This
is the main collection comprised high quality selected
old and new books. This collection is organized
according to Dewey Decimal Classification scheme and
shelved subject wise accessing to
Call Number
(000-999) pasted on the spine of each item.
II) PERIODICAL COLLECTION:
It
is functioning in postgraduate library. The library
has been subscribing different national and
international journals and magazines in print. The
current issues are displayed on special shelves in the
sections. Back volumes of the same are bound and
shelved separately. Please Click for the List of
Periodicals kept in Central Library and
PG Library
of the University. For News Papers in both
Central and PG Library please
Click Here.
III)
DONATED
PERSONAL
COLLECTIONS:
Scholars, writers and
book lovers have always kept and maintained
personal libraries at their residences. However,
the preservation of those books on scientific
lines and their free access to general masses has
never been manageable for them. These limitations
have led some of them to sell or donate their
personal collections to public or institutional
libraries at some point in their life.
The Punjab
University Library, one of the oldest in our
country, has received 20 Personal Collections to
date. The PU Library acquired 08
collections before 1947 and 12 collections after
independence. The total number of books in these
collections is 67,000. The number of books added
to the library in this category after 1947 is
31,000. During the last ten years, the library has
managed to get only 3 collections, which included
10,707 books. The prominent scholars and
professors whose books were donated/sold to this
library are: Prof. H M Percival, Chaudhry
Shahabuddin, Maulvi Mehboob Alam (Editor Paisa
Akhbar), Maulana Muhammad Hussain Azad, Haliz
Mehmood Sheerani, Allama Asghar Ali Roohi, Hakeem
Moosa Amritsari, Sibt-e-Hassan Zaigham and Mian
Jamil Ahmad Sharqpoori. The library received its
last collection in 2002. The PU Library spent
substantial amount to purchase most of these
collections. Most
of the prominent libraries in Lahore, such as the
Quaid-e-Azam Library and the Punjab Public
Library, do not possess any collections worth
mentioning.
The library at GC
University Lahore stands tall among its peers on
account of its strong category of personal
collections. The GCU Library boasts of over 35
personal collections having 87,548 books, none of
which was bought. The scholars or their
descendants donated their collections to GCU after
having been impressed by the high standards of
book preservation and literary utility at this
oldest seat of learning in Pakistan. Some
prominent scholars who have had a life-long
association with rival institutions preferred to
trust GCU in this regard. Prof Dr. Waheed Qureshi
reposed his trust in GCU by offering 35,000
valuable books to the GCU Library without charging
a single penny. In an interview, he disclosed that
several rare manuscripts had been stolen from the
PU Library, some of which were sold in London! The
heirs of Prof Dr. Ebadat Bralevi and Prof Syed
Viqar Azeem — the two distinguished professors of
Punjab University Oriental College donated their
precious collections to GCU.
Prof Dr. Ajmal’s
personal collection had been sent to England many
years ago. But his son, after his visit to the GCU
Library, decided to bring his books back to
Pakistan and donate them to GCU.
The historical record
of 4970 letters and scripts of famous short
stories, poems and essays has recently been
donated to GCU by Mr. Javaid Tufail, the Editor
Nuqoosh. GCU has decided to set up Nuqoosh Museum
at the GCU Library.
The oldest collection
at GCU was donated by Dr. Muhammad Sadiq. In 1978,
Prof. Sufi Ghulam Mustafa Tabassum’s personal
collection was donated to Government College where
he had taught Urdu and Persian for decades. Mr.
Shahid Hameed, Mr. Zaka Rehmatullah and Prof Qayum
Nazar’s personal collections came to Government
College from 1985 to 1990. Thus, the GCU Library
received 5 collections with 4673 books since its
inception in 1872 up till 1990. During the tenure
of the incumbent Vice Chancellor, Prof Dr. Khalid
Aftab, GCU received over 30 personal collections
which include 77,939 books. At present there are
87,548 books in all the received personal
collections. It speaks volumes about Dr. Khalid Aftab’s keen interest in enhancing the various
facilities at the library.
The prominent men of
letters who presented their books to GCU are:
Ashfaq Ahmad, Bano Qudsia, Prof. Maqbool Baig
Badakhshani, Dr. Ebadat Bralevi, Syed Waqar Azeem,
Dr. Waheed Qureshi, Muzaffar Ali Syed, fflikhar Jalib, Dr. Razi Wasti, Dr. Abdul Hameed, Abdullah
Malik, Dr. Ajmal, Prof Jilani Kamran, Malik Meraj
Khalid, Chaudhry Ghulam Jilani, Dr. Laeeq Babri,
Dr. Sohail Ahmad Khan and Prof. Dr. Khalid Aftab.
Distinguished poet and
renowned Old Ravian Mr. N.M. Rashid had bought
Saadat Hasssan Manto’s famous typewriter from
Manto while they both worked in All India Radio
Delhi. Rashid kept this typewriter with him
throughout his life. His widow recently gave it to
Saqi Farooqi to be handed over to GCU. This
historic typewriter has also been preserved at the
GCU Library.
Besides above personal collections, a special
collection has been developed in 1998. These
include very old and rare books on various
subjects in English, Arabic, Persian and Urdu.
These have been arranged and placed in a separate
room in the Central Library. The readers are
allowed to utilize collections within the library
premises. However these books are not issued.
An index with library
reference pages of valuable collection of former
Indian Govt. documents, reports, gazettes,
gazetteers and university calendars is
arranged subject wise. These documents can only be
consulted within the library.
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The the bibliographic
details of the books of all the
personal collections are given below. However the record is
also available from Reference Desk of the
CENTRAL and PG LIBRARY of the GCU. These books
are not issued to the readers to be taken
home. However, they can consult them at their will
during the library timings. (Click to download collection files in pdf
format) |
GCU Personal Collection: Year wise List
(for alphabetic list please
Click Here)
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