Directorate of Archives and Libraries was founded in 1972 by the President of Bangladesh, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. It was placed under the Ministry of Education initially but later placed under the Ministry of Cultural Affairs. It was initially located in a rented building and in 1986 it was moved to National Library building which was constructed in 1985. In 2001 Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina laid the foundation to build a building for the Directorate of Archives and Libraries. The purpose-built headquarters were partially completed in 2004 and fully completed in 2012.
