The library was established in 1829 during the reign of King
Swathi Thirunal of
Travancore. The work of starting and organising the library was entrusted to Edward Cadogan, a British resident and the grandson of
British Museum founder
Hans Sloane. Cadogan was the first president of the Thiruvananthapuram Public Library committee, which managed the affairs of the library. At that time, only a privileged class who were called to attend the
Durbar of the king was allowed admission to the library. In 1898 it was opened to the public and became known as "Thiruvananthapuram People’s Library". Other landmarks in the history of the library: • 1900 -
Sree Moolam Thirunal constructed the present building for housing the library, which is an architectural beauty of
gothic architecture, in commemoration of the
Diamond Jubilee of Queen Victoria. • 1938 - The administration of the Thiruvananthapuram Public Library was handed over to University of
Travancore (now
University of Kerala). • 2007- Online reservation and RF ID facility was introduced. == Sections==