State Central Library in Hyderabad is a public library of Andhra Pradesh. Hyderabad is now the capital of both Telangana and Andhra Pradesh.

History of State Central Library in Hyderabad
State Central Library in Hyderabad was constructed in the year 1891 by Nawab Imad-ul-Mulk. State Central Library in Hyderabad was formerly known as the Asafia Library. It is one of the most imposing structures in the "City of Biryani". State Central Library in Hyderabad is granted as a heritage status in the year1998 by INTACH of Hyderabad.

State Central Library began in the year 1891 due to the efforts of Moulvi Syed Hussain Bilgrami (Nawab Imadul Mulk Bahadur), whose personal library formed the institution`s initial core.

State Central Library has the grand building with an area of 72,247 square yards. The Library was built under the supervision of architect, Aziz Ali. The foundation stone of State Central Library was laid in January 1932 by Prince Mir Osman Ali Khan, one of the Nizam Ruler of Hyderabad. At the completion of the construction, the Asafia Library shifted to the new building in 1936 to mark Nizam VII`s Silver Jubilee. The architecture of this State Central Library is reminiscent of a palace with its huge halls and high ceilings.

In the year 1941, the Asafia State Library celebrated its Golden Jubilee. When the Hyderabad Public Libraries Act became law in 1955, Asafia State Library was declared as the State Central library for the Hyderabad State, the former name of Andhra Pradesh.

Collections of State Central Library in Hyderabad
State Central Library in Hyderabad is located at Afzal Gunj on the bank of Musi River. State Central Library houses more than 500,000 books and magazines including some rare palm-leaf ancient manuscripts of medieval period and the Sangam Age. This library is the apex of the library system of both Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.

The main objective of State Central Library is to collect literature on Science, Technology and similar subjects. It is the main source of reference materials for researchers and scholars of Andhra Pradesh. It serves as a focal point and organizing agency for the interlibrary loan of books. State Central Library in accordance with its objectives, maintains a strong reference collection including State and Central Government Publications. State Central Library organizes the book exhibitions, professional seminars, conferences, and nationwide week celebrations.

State Central Library has an excellent collection of around five hundred thousand books published since the early 19th century, including books in English language, Hindi language, Telugu language, Tamil language, Kannada language, Marathi language, Sanskrit language, Urdu language, Arabic language and Persian language. About 17,000 manuscripts dating to the fifth and sixth centuries were transferred to the Andhra Pradesh Oriental Manuscripts Library in 1967.