Khalifa Mohammad Asadullah
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Khalifa Mohammad Asadullah (6 August 1890 – 23 November 1949)Syed Jalaluddin Haider, Pg 3, Online at: [http://eprints.rclis.org/10348/1/PJLIS_1_Haider.pdf Pioneers of Library Movement in Pakistan] Retrieved 10 April 2018 was a pioneer of the library movement in the Indian subcontinent before 1947. He was also the first prominent librarian to opt for Pakistan at the time of independence in 1947.{{cite web|url=http://www.geocities.ws/pakistani_librarian/1999/qarshi.pdf |title=Khalifa Mohammad Asadullah: A Pioneer of Library Movement in South Asia |date=5 November 1999|author=Afzal Haq Qarshi|publisher=Pakistani Librarian (magazine)|accessdate=10 April 2018}}
Early life
He was born on 6 August 1890 in Lahore, British India (now Pakistan) to Maulvi Mohammd Ziaullah and Alam Jan of Simla.Biographical Encyclopedia of the World, Institute for Research in Biography, Inc, New York, first edition, 1940 He received his basic education in Lahore and graduated from Forman Christian College, Lahore in 1913.
Marriage and family
In 1908, he married Hameeda Begum in Lahore and fathered 14 children. His sons included Khalifa Mohd Iftikharullah TQA, Khalifa Mohd Naseemullah, Khalifa Mohd Hameedullah, Khalifa Mohd Ihsanullah, Khalifa Mohd Zafarullah (Commander Pak Navy), Khalifa Mohd Aminullah. His sons-in-law included AVM Saeedullah Khan and Pakistani diplomat, Enver Murad; his daughters-in-law included Zaib-un-Nissa Hamidullah and his great granddaughters include the Pakistani novelist, Uzma Aslam Khan.
Training
He studied under the American librarian Asa Don Dickinson in 1915 at the University of the Punjab.[https://books.google.com/books?id=KXVrsPSzeNAC&dq=K.+M.+Asadullah&pg=PA209 Libraries and Librarianship in India on GoogleBooks website] Retrieved 10 April 2018
Career
In 1916, he became the first qualified librarian of the Government College in Lahore.[http://www.gcu.edu.pk/About.htm First Librarian at Government College University, Lahore in 1916 (Read about Mohammad Asadullah on website under Libraries)] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190107053523/http://www.gcu.edu.pk/About.htm |date=7 January 2019 }} Retrieved 10 April 2018 He then became the librarian of MAO College (now Aligarh Muslim University) in 1919. In 1921, he joined the Imperial Secretariat Library in New Delhi and Simla, a post he held for 8 years.
In 1930, he was appointed the librarian of the Imperial Library (now National Library of India) in Calcutta, a post which he held for about 17 years from 1930 – 1947. While there, he started the library training programme.Encyclopaedia of Library and Information Science, Edited by: Allen Kent, Harold Lancour and Jay Daly vol 21 (1977) Page 257
Pakistan
In 1947, after the independence of Pakistan, he was made officer on special duty in the Ministry of Education.
Indian Library Association
In 1933, he was one of the founding members of Indian Library Association and was its first secretary from 1933 to 1947. He had served as the librarian and a director from 1930 – 1947 of the Imperial Library of India in British India.[http://www.nationallibrary.gov.in/nat_lib_stat/history.html K. M. Asadullah listed as Director and Librarian of the Imperial Library of India (1930 – 1947)] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160617023911/http://www.nationallibrary.gov.in/nat_lib_stat/history.html |date=17 June 2016 }} National Library of India website (Historical Background), Retrieved 10 April 2018
Honours
He was honoured with the title of Khan Bahadur in 1935.
Death
He died on 23 November 1949 due to a stroke at Lahore, Pakistan. He was buried in his family section of the Ferozpur Road graveyard, Lahore.
References
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Category:Academic staff of the Government College University, Lahore