After the partition of the subcontinent in 1947, the government of Pakistan established the National Library of Pakistan in Karachi in 1962 and a provincial book deposit branch of the Pakistan National Library in Dhaka in 1967. In fact, that book deposit branch was the embryo of the National Library of Bangladesh which came into being after the independence of the country in 1971.
After the liberation war of Bangladesh, it was keenly felt by all quarters that a national library is indispensable for the newborn nation. Considering the necessity and importance, the government resolved to set up the National Library of Bangladesh in Dhaka. The Library first started functioning with the manpower, resources and materials inherited from the Provincial Book Deposit Branch. Later on, in 1973, the two national organizations "The National Archives of Bangladesh" and "The National Library of Bangladesh" were merged with the name "Directorate of Archives and Libraries" under the Sports and Culture Division, Ministry of Education. A new building for the National Library of Bangladesh was built in 1985 and the library was shifted to its present place, called the Jatiya Granthagar Bhavan. (literally: National Library Building) at Agargaon, Sher-e-Bangla Nagar, Dhaka. The National Library of Bangladesh is currently run by the Directorate of Archives and Libraries under the Ministry of Cultural Affairs.