Different Units and Departments of the Central Library

The Central Library of Astan Quds Razavi is one of the precious treasuries of the recorded culture in Iran, and the world of Islam. The high knowledge, mysticism, art, faith, literature, love, wisdom and endeavours of thousands of the most virtuous and righteous people of Iran have been gathered in the course of successive centuries in this place of descending angels from the heaven.
Each one of the distinguished specialties of this cultural complex has exactly played a role in the reputation of this center.
Some of these specialties are mentioned in the following items:
1: This complex belongs to the Astan Quds Razavi-Astan Quds Razavi, in fact belongs to Imam Reza(A.S.)-.
2: Many of the manuscripts, art works and museum pieces preserved in the library have a long history. Some of them have a life over one thousand years.
3: Numerous manuscripts of the glorious Quran, and other precious copies.
4: Various and wide collections of printed copies in different fields of the Islamic and Human sciences.
5: The glorious and magnificent building of the library which is one of the matchless Islamic architecture art works, still remaining firm, has been constructed during the glorious era of Imam Khomeini(R.A.) - the late founder of the Islamic Revolution.
6: Modern and advanced equipment, prepared to increase the quality and quantity of services rendered by the library, preserve and secure documents, manuscripts and precious objects kept in the library.
These specifications and many of the other attributes of the library including: variety of services, high capacity, lack of limitations and obstacles on the way of granting services, etc, have caused many of the scholars, students, students of Islamic learning and other distinguished erudite and educated scientists of the Islamic society, to refer to this holy cultural center.
We are to acquaint you, the respected, briefly with this grand cultural center.
The history of this library has been unified with different historical ups and downs in Khorasan province, and the holy city of Mashhad.
The first steps for establishing this sacred manifestation have been taken by the benevolence and true faith of the unknown sincere devotees and dedicators about six centuries ago. Then some other factors including: Paying attention to the religious learning's students residing in the holy city of Mashhad, the wise and far-sighted pilgrims and also the auspices of the servants and lovers of Holy Shrine of Imam Reza(A.S.), have caused the library to be flourished and expanded during these centuries.
Although the place of the library's building has been changed several times but it has always been situated in the adjacent to the Holy Shrine, and just inside the area of the sacred places of the Holy Shrine of Imam Reza(A.S.).
A special place was allocated to the library since 1150 (A.H.) to the 14th century. But, the serious attention to the place and organization of the library dates back to the beginning of the 14th century of Hijri Shamsi. This factor is actually the most important reason caused to expedite the development process of the library. Ever-increasing the numbers of scholars and book readers who paid attention to this center is another motive.
The first independent and grand building of the library was constructed in 1370 A.H, in the north east of Imam Khomeini courtyard (Museum courtyard).
The library was then transfered to a newer and broader building situated in the upstairs of Museum of A.Q.R, placed in the east side of the previous courtyard. This library had been situated in this courtyard till 1415 A.H.
The project of constructing the present magnificent monument was commenced by the order of Ayatullah Wais Tabasi - the respected representative of Wali Faqih (Paramount leader) in Khorasan province, and the grand custodian of Astan Quds Razavi- in 1402 A.H, and ended in 1414 A.H. in an area of about 30000 square meters. This building came into use in the second half of 1415 A.H. Finally, the Central Library of Astan Quds Razavi was inaugurated during a glorious ceremony attended by Hojjatul Islam Wal Moslemin Hashemi Rafsanjani - the then president of the Islamic Republic of Iran -, and a large number of the cultural persons, researchers and a few numbers of librarians on 22nd. Bahman Mah 1374 Hijri Shamsi, coinciding with the holy birthday of the Eighth Imam of Shi'ite Muslims (A.S.).

Public Relations Department
The Organization of the library contains a Public Relations Department - supervised directly by the director general - and seven offices, as follows:
1: Manuscripts Office
2: Deeds Office
3: Public Library Office
4: Affiliated Libraries Office
5: Librarian Services Office
6: Public Affairs Office
7: Museums Office
Manuscripts Office
When one enters the treasury of the manuscripts and previous objects of this library it seems as if he - she has stood in front of a mirror which reflects a clear picture of one thousand - years history of the mental efforts of patrons of art and science who have been living in this country.
Every copy of the glorious Quran and sample of precious objects in this complex is exactly indicative of the splendour of sacrifice and genuineness of artists and knowledge lovers who have devoted their life to granting services in the Holy domain of Islam and the Holy Quran, and have created wonderful works, and left them as a memorial.
Until 1399 A.H, the number of the manuscripts preserved in the library, were totally 12000 copies. But, at the present time, about 26400 copies of hand - written books, 2820 copies of the manuscripts of the glorious Quran, 1500 photo books, 443 copies of handwritten works, are preserved and secured in the treasury of the manuscripts.
Furthermore, about 2300 microfilms of the manuscripts have been provided in and out of the country, and added to the other precious resources.

Duties of the Manuscripts Office
This office, with the object of gathering, securing and preserving the manuscripts of the glorious Quran and other manuscripts, epistles, photo (picture) copies, and valuable handwritings, is a department responsible for granting services to the Iranian and non-Iranian researching society.
Sub-Departments of this office are as follows:

1: Manuscripts Department
This department has been organized to provide and record manuscripts, make ready, register indexes, make collections, expertly estimate the manuscripts, provide lists and grant services to the applicants and researchers.

2: Filmteck Department (Photo and Microfilm services):
This section endeavours in the fields of taking picture, providing microfilms from manuscripts and documents, preserving and securing photos and microfilms through modern scientific principles, copying the present microfilms, transmitting the pictures of the manuscripts to the computer and storing it, exchanging microfilm with other important libraries in Iran and abroad, and also granting services to the applicants and researchers.

3: Department of Preserving and Repairing Books and Documents:
The most important activities of this department are as follows:
Doing pesticide, repairing and binding the damaged, or exposed to damage books including valuable printed books or manuscripts and documents, by applying both traditional and modern methods.

4: Department of Book Decoration and Art Affairs:
The artists of the library are engaged in gilding books, doing calligraphy, painting, designing and restoring damaged oil covers in this section.

Public Relations Office
The responsibilities of the Public Relations of the Central Library of the Astan Quds Razavi, enjoy unique and particular specifications. Introducing this center to all of addressees throughout the country, and to the cultural centres of other countries, Islamic countries in particular, in order to expand the services granted by this large scientific and information - conveying institution, to the world is the main target of the Public Relations of the Central Library.
The most important activities run by the Public Relations Department are as follows:
1: Continuous supporting the communications of the organization of the libraries, with various cultural, and scientific centers in Iran including Khorasan province, Mashhad and other parts of the world.
2: Programming to strengthen friendly relations of the management of the library with the personnel, and the respected applicants, according to the newest scientific methods and innovations in this field.
3: Providing suitable catalogues, essays, periodicals, books, photos, albums, films, and CD, in order to introduce the library to different classes of society.
4: Continuous communication with mass media (newspapers, T.V, and Radio), in order to make the library known to the cultural society better than before, and also make use of the modern facilities and technologies including, Internet, etc., for obtaining the above-mentioned targets.
5: Holding different fairs to acquaint the applicants with the resources preserved in the treasuries of the library and museums of the A.Q.R.
6: Holding scientific meetings in the library to speak about different subjects including: Librarianship, bookreading, bibliology, criticizing book contents, research and information - conveying, by inviting the distinguished scientists, professors and researchers of the country.
7: Guiding Iranian, and non-Iranian visitors to the Library, and desirable reflection of these visits through media.
8: Providing the statistics of the activities accomplished in the library and also estimating public opinions in different seasons, and presenting the results to the management of the library.
Manuscripts Office has so far published 16 volumes of its detailed descriptive indexes of the present copies, regarding a particular subject, to introduce and grant information services.
Starting point of the publication affairs of the library dates back to 1344 A.H. About 13000 copies of different books have been introduced in these volumes. (("The Brief Alphabetical Index of the Manuscripts" is one of the other works published by the library in which 15550 copies of the manuscripts have been introduced to researchers. Furthermore, some other indexes have been printed and published by this office as follows.
1: The Index of the Precious Copies of the Glorious Quran, which contains the introduction of 214 precious copies of the glorious Quran.
2: The Index of the Translated Copies of the Glorious Quran, which contains the introduction of 336 copoes of the glorious Quran translated into Persian language.
3: The Index of 1500 copies of Manuscripts granted by the Paramount Leader of the Islamic Revolution.
Five other volumes of the series of the detailed descriptive indexes in the fields of Fiqh (religious jurisprudence), Fiqh principles, Literature, Mathematics, and Chemistry will soon be printed and published by this office.
In addition to these works, some of the senior experts of librarianship and information unit in the Central Library have compiled their M.A. theses about different specifications of the manuscript works secured in the Library of Astan Quds which are exactly remarkable works. Some of these works are as follows:
1: A Review of the Specifications of the Painted Stone Printed Books, preserved in the Central Library of Astan Quds Razavi by: Sayyed Mohammad Reza Fadhel Hashemi.
2: A Review of the Specifications of Different Kinds of Manuscripts of the Central Library of Astan Quds Razavi / by: Barat Ali Gholami Moqaddam.
3: A Review of the Calligraphy theses In Persian Language / by: Fadhlullah Fadhel Neishaboori.
4: Comparing the Applied Methods in the Famous Indexes of the Manuscripts of Iran, And Discovering Common Samples / By: Mohammad Wafadar Moradi.
5: Copy-writing, Translating, and Book-decorating in the Field of Roba (one/fourth) Rashidi / by Gohlam Reza Parandeh.
6: A Review of the Endorsements of the Manuscripts endowed to the Central Library of Astan Quds Razavi by Women / by: Hamid Reza Abdullahi.
7: How to Recognize the Kind of paper Applied in the Manuscripts of the Central Library of Astan Quds Razavi through Laboratory, till the period of the Safavid dynasty / by: Ali Asghare Thabete Hejazi.
Some of the other activities accomplished by Manuscripts Office, are as follows:
_ Establishing the Precious Objects Council to recognize, evaluate, and introduce the precious collection of the library.
_ Computerizing all of the bibliology information of the present manuscripts.
_ Setting up constant fair of the copies of the glorious Quran, manuscripts, and selected precious objects.
_ Travelling of experts of the library abroad in order to visit the manuscripts, and precious objects of important and famous libraries, for exchanging microfilms, or provide manuscripts.

The Deeds and Documents Office
The Deeds and Documents Office of the Central Library of Astan Quds Razavi commenced its activity in its present form in 1997. Some of the most important duties of this office are as follows:
Gathering, preserving, securing, classifying and publishing deeds and documents including: Pictures, printings and manuscripts deeds, cassettes, maps, clichأ©s and seals etc, granting information services about these resources to the researchers, providing and accomplishing research plans regarding the deeds and documents secured in the treasuries, supplying, preserving, classifying and granting services related to the old and new newspapers, magazines and periodicals.

Departments of the Deeds Office

1) Dead Records Department:
Gathering documents from different centers of dead records of the Astan Quds Razavi's Institution, receiving granted or purchased deeds, evaluating, preserving and securing these deeds, providing detailed certification, registering and storing received information in the computer are among the important duties undertaken by this department.

2) Archives and Indexing Department of Deeds:
This department has the following units:
A: The Treasury of Deeds
B: Indexing documents and photos which accelerate the job of adjusting and classifying the certification of deeds and photos to access them fast and accurately.
C: The Archives of Oral History undertakes to gather, classify, preserve and secure audio-visual documents. The subject of these documents are almost about the review of the contemporary history of Iran.
D: The Archives of Seals and Signatures.
E: Information Bank of Newspapers and Deeds.
F: The Archives of Official Publications.

3) The Press Archives Department:
This department was independently established in 1980. At present it enjoys a treasury, two reading rooms, an administrative section, and a preparing section.
At the present time, more than 21000 series of bound newspapers and magazines including 4300 titles of old and new magazines in 18 current languages of the world in various subjects are preserved and secured in the treasury.
The number of current newspapers amount up to 1300 titles. The "Waqaye Ettefaqiyyeh" newspaper is the oldest one preserved in this section.
The first issue of this newspaper was published in 1267 A.H, entitled "the Akhbare Dar-ul-Khelafheye Tehran " (The News of Capital City of Tehran). The oldest magazine is an Arabic one entitled" the Al Moqtataf," published in 1293 A.H/ 1876 A.D.

4)Research Department
It carries out research based on the documents available in this section.

The Public Office of the Library
This office grants services to about 5000 visitors who come to this library everyday to acquire knowledge. It is the most important office in the grand complex of the Central Library and Center of Deeds and Documents of Astan Quds Razavi. The Public Office of the Library is an active member of the cultural society which supplies different and wide services 12 hours a day i.e., from 7.30 A.M, till 19.30 PM. This office grants its services to all classes of the society including: professors of university and of Islamic seminary, teachers, students of universities and Islamic seminaries, pre-university students (High-school's, Secondary School's, and Primary school's students)and researchers of knowledge.
The sources of granting services in this office are as follows:
Printing books, booklets, non-printing materials including; Audio and video cassettes, slides, and MP3 discs etc.,
Information affair is accomplished in all sections through computer by experienced and skilled experts of the library.
The units of this office are as follows:

1: The Section of Printing Books Treasury:
It is actually a treasury with an area of about 2000 square meters and a capacity of 700000 books. At present, about 300000 printed books - old and new ones -in different languages - Persian, Arabic, and English in particular - are preserved in this treasury. The section of treasury undertakes to preserve and secure printed books, and grant services to the applicants through men's and women's closed bookcase auditoria, and researchers auditoria and source auditoria by the mechanized and advanced system of book transmission.

2: Section of Book Circulation-Men &Women-.
All members who have membership cards of the library, can borrow their needed books according to particular regulations for a determined time. The number of members of this section till the beginning of 1999 was totally 30000 people.
About 70000 printed books are preserved in the men's treasury of this section. Women can borrow thier needed books through the related open treasury.

3: The Auditoria of Open Treasuries (Men-Women):
The applicants can directly take their optional books from the shelves in the open treasury system. In this method, the role of librarians or book holders is in fact to guide them and grant information. Because, it has been proved by experience that the method of open treasury is the best method of expanding and flourishing the book-reading behavior and culture, the library of Astan Quds Razavi has paid attention to developing and expanding this method after the victory of the Islamic Revolution in the new building and organization of the library in particular. At the present condition, six grand auditoria of the library are being exploited in the form of open treasury as follows: Two auditoria alloted to men, two auditoria alloted to women, and two auditoria for teenagers (girls and boys separately).

4: Teenager's Auditioria (men & women):
Teenaged applicants who study in high school, and secondary school, are among applicants of this section. In addition to granting services in the form of open treasury, those members who have membership cards and select and borrow their requested books according to regulations.
Different and various lateral teaching programmes are held in these auditoria, about the importance of books, library, book-reading, and propagating the spirit of thinking, researching, and increasing the interest of teenagers in reading and researching.

5: The Reading Auditoria of the Closed Treasury (men &women):
In the system of closed treasury, applicants guiding by leaf-boxes, computer of librarians, write firstly complete specifications of their requested books on special forms, and give them to the book-holders who access to the printed books treasury. Then they are delivered their books on the condition of rendering their membership cards, or a creditable certificate.
After reading the books, they will deliver them to the authorities. Owing to the extraordinary width of the Printed Books Treasury, the Central Library applies Tele-lift system to accelerate its book-rendering duty. So the stations of rendering book placed inside this large treasury undertakes to render books to the applicants. The terminal of rails of this electric transmitted leads to two auditoria (the closed treasury auditorium of men and woman).

6: Source Auditorium:
This unit has been established for researchers to access to the basic sources including encyclopedias, bibliographies, dictionaries, lexicons, guide-books and dictionaries of different sciences, and other main research sources.
The method of rendering sources in this unit is a combination of the closed and open methods. It means that in case of lack of a book in the shelves of the auditorium, applicants can request their book from the treasury, and borrow it.

7: Researchers Auditorium (men & Women):
There are two auditoria for researchers and writers, adjacent to the Printed Books Treasury, to request their needed sources from the Book-holders of the Printed Book Treasury. These researchers, applying desirable facilities and space, and accessing to the sources of this unit, can research, and compile their books.

8: Audio-visual Auditorium (men & women):
Nowadays propagating knowledge and publishing information is no more accomplished through books or other written sources. On the contrary, some of non-printing tools, audio-visual tools in particular, including films, cassettes, slides, and electronic pages, records, store and publish information and knowledge similar to book and other publications. Therefore, owing to the ever increasing of the applicants who use these tools, two auditoria have been allocated to men and women., who enjoy 55 T.V sets, 55 video sets and lateral facilities to render audio-visual services. The applicants and fixed members can easily make use of the classified films and cassettes, in a desirable space predicted in the men's audio-visual auditorium, which enjoy advanced facilities, under the supervision of experts of this section. At present, audio-visual auditoria are daily granting services to 300 applicants (men & women).

Affiliated Libraries Office
Astan Quds Razavi has endeavoured in the way of developing and expanding its cultural activities.
Therefore, Astan Quds Razavi by establishing one of the most glorious and magnificent libraries of the world of Islam, adjacent to the Holy Shrine of Imam Reza(A.S.), has taken important steps to develop and expand the branches of this sacred tree throughout the holy city of Mashhad, and the farthermost parts of the Islamic country of Iran. Paying special attention to the large cultural mission, and also firm faith of the servants of the Astan Quds Razavi regarding the importance and greatness of this divine duty, has encouraged its managers to resolve on obtaining and attaining higher objects.
Nowadays, in the course of two decades of the Islamic Revolution, constructing 32 libraries in Mashhad, 4 affiliated libraries in several cities of Khorasan province, 9 other affiliated libraries in other parts of our country-Iran-, and a library in Lucknow, India, are exactly considered clear evidences for the favorable auspices of the reverend custodianship of Astan Quds Razavi to the constructive and development role of book and library among the youth and researchers class of the Islamic society.
Affiliated Libraries Office enjoying the whole facilities of the Central Library, was established at the outset to accelerate and simplify grant services to applicants, save on their time, develop research and studying spaces, and expand activities of the centre to different regions of the holy city of Mashhad. The management center of this library has been placed in the Central Library.
Each library has an independent management system which accomplishes its duties according to the policies and programmes of the Central Library.
The services rendered by this office, are not limited to this extent. In 1998, owing to the ever increasing needs of the society in the deprived regions in particular Mobile Library Project was implemented. This last unit renders its services through four methods to different classes of the society which can not directly access to the services of the libraries of Astan Quds Razavi. The units related to this office, are as follows:

1: The Unit of Urban Services:
This unit supports and encourages the libraries of important educational centres in the city of Mashhad.

2: The unit of Non-Urban Services:
This unit renders services to the villages around the city of Mashhad.

3: The Unit of Book-Rendering by Telephone:
The respected families of Martyrs, invalids, professors of universities and Islamic seminaries, and distinguished persons who cannot directly refer to the library, can use the facilities of this unit by obtaining the membership cards in this unit. Then, announcing their request by phone, they can receive their needed book at their house door, or in the place of their job.

4: The Unit of Granting Book:
A part of the books preserved in the library of Astan Quds Razavi which can be exploited in other far and near regions related to Astan Quds Razavi, are exposed to the people to use them by borrowing. Or even in some cases, after researching or reviewing the applications by the related experts, these books will be granted to the applicants by obtaining the permission of the director general of the library.
This job causes to increase better exploitation from the complex of books preserved in the libraries of Astan Quds Razavi. Of course, the Unit of Granting Books, enjoys an independent budget, which is spent for purchasing books and granting them to the determined centers.

Librarian Services Office
This office enjoys experienced and specialized staff, undertakes to order, provide, organize, and render information of the complex of the Central Library and its affiliated libraries. At present, this unit has been formed of three sections:

1) The Section of Ordering, Providing and Making Ready Book (Materials):
The different processes of ordering, providing and making ready the articles of the Central Library, and affiliated libraries of the Astan Quds Razavi are accomplished and centered in this section. Providing articles is accomplished through three ways:
Purchasing, dedicating and granting.

A: Purchasing:
Before ordering and purchasing the sources, samples of the newly-published titles, dispatched to this section by agents, are delivered to the members of the selection committee consisting of the representatives of interior departments of the Central Library and affiliated libraries to determine their requirements.
Then, this section will purchase books according to the requirements of this committe.

B: Granting:
Many of the books preserved in the Central Library, have been granted by the compilers, generous people (different classes of society), the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance, and other governmental, and non-governmental organizations.
After comparing this kind of books with the index of the present collection, it is decided to allocate them to the libraries or to other departments which need books.
If the granted books are repetitive ones, and the Central Library and related centers do not need them, they would be granted to the cultural institutions which need books.

C: Dedicating
In the case of endowed books, basis for action depends on the recommendation of devotees. Therefore, considering the endowment deeds related to these books, the Organization of the Library of Astan Quds Razavi exploits from these books in the best way according to its regulations. All the books received are dispatched to the index section after being registered.

2) Index Section:
This section, enjoying specialized experts in the fields of Persian, Arabic, English, and other current languages of the world, undertakes to organize and classify books according to the system of D.U.E decimal classification, in order to accede the applicants easily and rapidly to the requested sources. Because of the computer facilities, traditional method of indexing has been abandoned and substituted by the advanced automatic system. This substitution has accelerated accomplishing the affairs, and has increased the amount of carefulness.

3) Mechanical Services Section:
The main activities of this section, are accomplished through two units, as follows:
A) The Unit of Supporting the Library Net
B) Information Unit:
Granting information services to the applicants (including the information of the library complex), and also through CDs is the main duty of this unit. At present the system of the library under the Novell Net, is active through its 137 stations, and almost covers all other sections of the library.
Information Unit of the Library, provides and gathers various CDs in the fields of Islamic learning and sciences, reference books including various dictionaries and encyclopedias, and Iranology sources, is granting services to the researchers and students of universities.

Public Affairs Office
The most important duties of this office are as follows:
Looking after and investigating financial matters, staff (personnel) and equipment affairs of the offices supervised by the general office, and physical guarding the large complex of the library.
Office of Public Affairs enjoys 5 sections:
1) Secretariat Section
2) Personnel Account and Supply Section
3) Services, Immunity and Safe-guarding Section
4) The Section of Installations, and Preserving The Building
5) Auditorium Section The above-mentioned auditorium is one of the most glorious Islamic art-works, constructed after the victory of the Islamic Revolution. Providing and making ready a suitable space for holding national and international congregations, seminars and meetings according to the international principles and standards, has been the main reason to construct such a kind of glorious monument, This auditorium has been constructed in an area of about 600 square meters.
This auditorium, equipped with audio-visual systems and some other apparatus for simultaneous translation, enjoys 767 comfortable chairs. The walls of the mentioned auditorium has been decorated with holy verses of the Glorious Qur'an, Holy Prophet of Islam's traditions, and those ascribed to the Immaculate Shi'ite Imams(A.S). All these have been plastered and illuminated skillfully by the distinguished artists of the Astan Quds Razavi. These art-works have actually bestowed particular attractions, spirituality and splendour to the space of the auditorium.