Libraries hold immense significance to seminary students as they serve as invaluable resources for their academic and spiritual growth. In fact, a student’s second home should be a quiet place to read and study. SIOS, like many other hawzahs, has an ever-growing library to provide students and researchers with relevant and up-to-date material that will assist them in their academic endeavours as well as providing a quiet and conducive environment enabling students to concentrate on their studies and engage in contemplation.
In addition to the libraries within each hawzah, Qum also has a large selection of public and specialist libraries which offer access to vast collections of classical & contemporary works and dedicated research & study areas. Information about a selection of these libraries has been provided in the table below with a more detailed and complete list here. All of those listed require membership and provide a private study area.
General & Public Libraries
| Library | Loan facility | Opening hours | Address | Telephone |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lady Masumah (a) Public Library | Yes | 08:00–23:00 | Jami Fatimi Courtyard, Shrine of Lady Masumah (a) | 3784 0751 3784 0753 |
| Library of Grand Ayatullah Burujurdi (ra) | — | 08:00–19:00 | Masjid Azam, Shrine of Lady Masumah (a) | 3783 7744 |
| Library of Grand Ayatullah Hairi (ra) | Yes | 08:00–20:00 | Madrassah Fayziyyah, beside the Shrine of Lady Masumah (a) | 3774 1483 3784 1820 |
| Library of Grand Ayatullah Marashi Najafi (ra) | — | 08:00–19:00 | Iram Street, opposite Passage Quds | 3774 1970 3774 1978 |
| The Office of Propagation’s General Library | Yes | 08:00–19:00 | Muallim Street, after Bustan Kitab Bookstore | 3115 1271 |
Specialist Libraries
| Library | Loan facility | Opening hours | Address | Telephone |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The History of Islam and Iran Specialist Library | Yes | 08:00–Maghrib | No. 8, 11th Alley, Shahid Rajai Street, Sumayyah Street | 3773 1355 |
| The Intellectual Sciences Specialist Library | Yes | 09:00–18:00 | No. 5, first left on 10th Alley, 19th Dey Street (Bajek) | 3775 7610 3775 7611 |
| The Iranian Institute of Philosophy Library | — | 08:00–15:00 | No. 71, 3rd Alley, Danish Street, Saduqi Boulevard | 3294 1250 |
| The Jurisprudence and its Principles Specialist Library | — | 07:00–21:00 | Muallim Circle, Markaz Fiqhi Aimmah Athar | 3774 9494 |
Digital Libraries
Advancement in technology during the digital era has enabled students to easily access extensive collections of books via digital libraries. With just a few clicks, a student can now find almost any book through websites such as Narges Library and Shiabooks which provide PDF books categorised by subject and a search facility allowing the user to refine their search by book or author. All books are available for free download; however, the PDFs are often scans of the original printed books. This sometimes compromises the quality of the text and reading comfort level and causes a disruption of the search facility within the PDF.
Another popular website among seminary students is eShia — another freely accessible digital website. Similar to the other two websites, books are categorised by subject and users can search for specific titles or authors using the integrated search engine. eShia can be easier to read as the books have been rendered in text format rather than scans of the printed version. There is also an option to download a range of pages from any book (up to 30 pages) in PDF form.
Comments & Suggestions
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