Exploring Status of Special and Rare Collection: A qualitative examination

Abstract

This contribution attempts to discuss the current scenario of rare material available in the libraries of Lahore city. Lahore is capital of Punjab province of Pakistan. The study seeks to explore the various aspects such as acquisition, organization, access, preservation & conservation of rare material of libraries of Lahore, Pakistan. The study is qualitative in nature; based on multiple case study design. A multiple case study helps the researchers in finding the differences among cases. Semi-structured interview guide was used as data collection tool. The observation and document analysis of log registers of the cases (libraries) were also done wherever facilitated. It was found that rare collection is underutilized in the libraries of Lahore. Findings also established that separate funds are not allocated to the public libraries of Lahore for acquisition and management of the rare material. This paper identifies the current status and issues in acquisition, management, access and use of rare material at public libraries of Lahore, Pakistan.