The history of the library collection dates back to the early 1860s. In 1852, the Dar al-Funun school began its operations in Tehran. Twelve years later in 1863, a small library was established at the school. This small collection in the European style was destined to become the nucleus of the National Library of Iran which officially opened 73 years later, on August 25, 1937, in Tehran, as one of the manifestations of modernization in the country.
During the reign of Muzaffar al-Din Shah, as Iranians became more familiar with Western civilization, the Tehran Education Society (Anjoman-e Ma’rif) was established in 1987 to promote culture and create modern schools. A year later, on January 17, 1898, the society established the “National Library of Ma’arif” adjacent to Dar al-Funun school with a collection they gathered with great effort.
Interestingly, the term “national” in the name of this library was not intended to signify nationalism but rather to denote that the library was independent of the government. It was a non-profit and public institution making it arguably the first public library in Iran established in Tehran. Over the following decades, other public libraries such as the National Library of Tabriz, Fars, Kerman, and Rasht were also established. These libraries were public in nature, not ‘national’ in the sense of being a country’s singular national library. Therefore, the “National Library of Ma’arif” cannot be considered the precursor of the National Library of Iran.
In 1906, during the tenure of Minister of Education Alaa al-Mulk, the National Library of Ma’arif was transferred to the Dar al-Funun school’s library. In 1919, under Minister of Education Hakim al-Mulk, it was renamed the Library of Ma’arif. Finally, in 1934, during Ali Asghar Hekmat’s tenure as Minister of Education, it was called the “Public Library of Ma’arif“.
According to the regulations of the Public Library of Ma’arif (approved on December 30, 1934), the library was part of “the Department of Publications”. At that time, it housed 5000 volumes and received an average of 31 visitors daily.
However, the regulations primarily outlined the duties of library staff, without specifying the library’s broader functions.
In contrast, regulations of the Department of Publications (the library’s parent organization) defined the following responsibilities for the National Library division:
- Organizing and maintaining the books in the library, as well as preparing and printing necessary cataloges.
- Collecting printed books, journals and magazines -both domestic and foreign- received by the library.
- Selecting and printing manuscripts and printed books annually to enhance the library’s collection.
These responsibilities were most aligned with those of a general public library.
During this period, the library was headed by Jahangir Shams Avari, who had recently returned from the United States and was familiar with the modern library system.
Another significant event in 1934 was the Ferdowsi Millennium Congress, held in Tehran. For the first time a large group of Iranologists and Orientalists from around the world gathered in Iran.
A hall was named after Ferdowsi in Dar al-Funun school and books donated by the congress participants were collected and displayed there. After the congress, these books were added to the collection of the Public Library of Ma’arif.