Libraries, from time immemorial, remained the greatest source of information and knowledge for mankind. Although rapid growth  in information and communication technologies have enabled faster access to information but the pivotal role and significance of a library as physical space equipped with contemporary technologies in the propagation of knowledge cannot be diminished.

IBA Libraries (both at main and city campuses) have a long, successful history of developing progressive services and collections to better meet the needs of the IBA community. The both campus libraries collectively comprise the largest academic library of any of business institutes of the country which not only offer study materials needed in the course of education but also variety of information sources to supplement the life-long-learning of its clientele.

The libraries are committed to support teaching, learning and research by developing and promoting the systems that are useful in enhancing access to related information, introducing innovative services and acquiring resources that could encourage synthesization of thoughts, thus contributing into transfer of knowledge as well as augmenting the development and expansion of the intellectual horizon of its members, students in particular to groom them as well-rounded individuals.

Libraries house excellent collection, provide cutting-edge digital technologies to enhance information access, offer instructional programs, and serve as primary academic support of the Institute. Through our customer oriented staff, excellent resources and innovative services, libraries seek to fulfill its mission <<to support teaching and research endeavors of the faculty, students, and staff of the Institute by collecting, organizing, preserving, communicating, and sharing information / knowledge>>.

The Institute of Business Administration was established in 1955 as a joint enterprise of the University of Karachi and the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Finance. Later, University of Southern California assisted in set-up various facilities. Since its inception and strongly realizing the importance of a library in an academic institution due focus was given to the development of library that can supplement the academic requirements of its members. The Library has been serving and playing vital role and successfully attained unique position among business institutions in the country since 1955, rather has the privilege of being a purpose built facility of one of the oldest business school out of North America.  An important feature of library was rich collection of government publications including comprehensive files of government serials and reports since 1955. It has been subscribing foreign and domestic journals in the related subjects and also house old newspapers and periodicals in bound form since 1955. Reference collection, again, was a great asset of the library for assisting the research students and teaching scholars. It had been regularly focusing the Institute’s community and their needs, and had played  classical role in the development of librarianship as well by maintaining the historical record of “selected press index” and “selected periodical index of Pakistani journals/magazines”, starting from 1955 till 1990. It also started offering Book Bank services in 1981 whereby prescribed text books of select courses were provided to each individual student or a group of students at nominal charges for whole semester, however, this service was stopped for certain reasons in 1988.

Library has been passing through exciting periods of history staring from very small and compact setup in 1955/56 that has now grown into two well equipped and well organized libraries, one at the University Campus, usually called Main Campus and one at Garden Campus, usually called City Campus. The year 2012 is a landmark year in the history of IBA Libraries, as both campus libraries are being reconstructed and remodeled, once completed, would be one of its kind physical infrastructures in the country.