The 153-year-old Amir-ud-Daula public library in Lucknow has been completely digitised and 80,000 books and 27,000 e-magazines are now available for the public to read on the library's website for free. The said transformation of one of the UP's oldest libraries came under the Smart City digitisation project, costing Rs 1.07 crore.

Some of the rarest books that lined up the shelves of Amir-ud-Daula library, can now be accessed online via the free website or app. Notable among these rare books are Turkish History (published in 1687) and Modern Hinduism (published in 1887), among several others. These books from old, that were at a risk of getting spoiled because of being exposed to damp, have now been saved forever in the digital form.

The library was also frequented by those preparing for competitive examinations. In good news for such visitors, over 1,000 books for competitive exams have also been made available online, along with 5,000 premium e-books and nearly a thousand text books.

The Amir-ud-Daula library in Lucknow, apart from possessing a wealth of knowledge in the form of books spanning countless genres and available in almost all Indian languages, is also an integral part of the city's rich history. The digitisation of the library will now take its valuable manuscripts and historical wisdom to internet users worldwide.