What many would call the end to an era, the 67-year-old Sufia Kamal National Public Library has been demolished as part of a modernisation project.1

The Tk 524-crore project -- approved in May 2021 -- will be handled by the Public Works Department. The project is scheduled to be completed in June 2024.

Siddique said around 1.76 lakh books have been shifted to the Institute of Engineers, Bangladesh (IEB) building but many of them could not be kept there due to space constraints. "The new building will be able to accommodate around five lakh books. We have already started demolishing the old one."

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Criticising the move, former general secretary of Bangladesh Institute of Planners Adil Mohammad Khan said the traditional importance of the public library is immense.2

However, Iqbal Habib, former joint secretary of Bangladesh Poribesh Andolon, said structures with historical significance and buildings that had the involvement of eminent persons in their construction should be preserved. If the buildings in consideration do not fall under this category and renovation can increase their functional efficiency, then they should be renovated.3

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• 1. Md Abubakar Siddique, director general of the Department of Public Libraries, said it is necessary to renovate the old building as its capacity is limited. "Digitalisation of the library is another important aspect to maintain international standards. That way, readers will be able to read books online from both inside and outside of the library. "We will keep all the modern facilities in the new buildings and build three conference halls," added the director general.
• 2. "Although it is possible to increase the library's capacity by modernisation, we will lose its historical importance. These buildings need to be protected for the sake of sustainability and protection of our history and heritage," said Adil, also executive director of Institute for Planning and Development. The authority could take out new land and construct new public libraries instead of demolishing the old ones, he added.
• 3. The library does not fall under this category, according to Iqbal Habib. "The amount of land and position on which the old structure stood created way too many obstacles for it to be considered a good design. Hence, its renovation is necessary," said Habib, whose architecture firm also participated in the design competition for the new structure of the library.