An Introduction to the Library
The Central Library and Documentation Center of Tehran University is the largest Iranian university library. It includes a rich and diverse collections and resources in various areas of science, technology, and literature. This library along with specialized libraries located at different colleges and departments of Tehran University is basically research oriented. In addition, it hosts numerous collections of works on Islamic studies, Iranian studies and Oriental studies.
The Central Library was founded in 1950 with the donation of Professor Seyyed Mohammad Meshkat's collection to the University of Tehran. His collection included 1329 volumes of Persian and Arabic manuscripts. The current building of the library was opened on September 10th, 1971. Before the inauguration of the main building, various parts of the library were scattered in the Department of Science and the University Mosque. In 1974, the "Documentation Center" was established to the Central Library to collect, maintain and organize non-book publications from organizations, ministries, universities, cultural associations, institutes and centers both inside and outside the country. The Central Library and Documentation Center has been a member of the International Federation of Library Associations (IFLA) since 1967.