In a city where fast-paced urban life and technology are steadily shrinking the space for deep reading, a quiet initiative is opening doors to knowledge for photography enthusiasts and young learners.
The 365 Photography Library in Dhaka has emerged as a rare public resource, offering free and low-cost access to thousands of photography books that are often expensive and difficult to obtain.
Founded by documentary photographer Saiful Amin Kajol, the library is largely a result of individual effort, supported by contributions from local and international individuals and institutions.
Kajol, who began taking photographs in 1990 and became more serious about his work from 2018, has documented a wide range of events, people and moments in Bangladesh. Though he previously worked in the private sector, he lost his job during the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite financial uncertainty, he continued to collect books and expand the library.
The initiative began in 2015 in a small room in Dhaka’s Dhanmondi area. Since then, it has grown into a collection of nearly 4600 books, magazines and exhibition catalogs from international photo agencies, museums and galleries. The library offers both annual and lifetime memberships, and its collection is carefully organized to ensure easy access for readers.
The archive includes works by renowned photographers such as Martin Parr, Raghu Rai, Josef Koudelka, Sebastião Salgado, Reza Deghati and Wolfgang Tillmans, alongside publications from institutions like Magnum Photos and the Royal Photographic Society.
It also houses an extensive collection of Bangladeshi photography books, including rare publications on the country’s Liberation War, offering younger generations access to visual history.
Photography books are often costly and physically heavy, limiting access for many aspiring learners. Kajol’s initiative aims to remove those barriers by creating an inclusive space for study and inspiration.
Many in the photography community see the library as one of the largest privately photography libraries in Bangladesh — and possibly the only one of its kind open to the public.
As Dhaka continues to grow more crowded and digitally driven, this small but significant space is helping preserve a culture of reading, research and visual storytelling.
