State Central Library, Hyderabad
| State Central Library Hyderabad | |
|---|---|
Entrance to the State Central Library | |
| 17°22′27″N 78°28′42″E / 17.3742°N 78.4783°E | |
| Location | Afzal Gunj, Hyderabad, India |
| Type | State library |
| Established | 1891 |
| Architect(s) | Vincent Esch |
| Collection | |
| Items collected | books, journals, newspapers, magazines, and manuscripts |
| Size | ~ 5,00,000 books/magazines ~17,000 manuscripts |
| Legal deposit | Yes |
| Access and use | |
| Access requirements | Open |
| Other information | |
| Website | sclhyd |
The State Central Library Hyderabad, (Telugu: స్టేట్ సెంట్రల్ లైబ్రరీ) (Urdu: کتب خانہ آصفیہ) known as the State Central Library (SCL) earlier known as Kutub Khana Asafia, is a public library in Hyderabad, Telangana. The library was first established in 1891 at a location in Abids where the General Post Office is today situated. The library was shifted to its present location in 1936 and today is one of the most imposing structures in the city. The building housing the library was granted heritage status in 1998 by INTACH, Hyderabad. The building has been included in 2025 World Monuments Watch compiled by World Monuments Fund
The library is located in the Afzal Gunj on the banks of the River Musi. Today the library occupies 72,247 square yards (60,408 m2) of space. The library houses half a million books and magazines including some rare Palm-leaf manuscripts. This library is the apex of the state's library system.
The library today is poorly maintained and is without proper infrastructure. The furniture is damaged and the collection of books and manuscripts are not properly catalogued.