Shanti Mishra

Shanti Mishra (; 22 June 1938 – 15 May 2019) was a Nepali lecturer, librarian, writer and translator. She was the first Nepali female full-time lecturer and first Nepali female librarian. She was the first female librarian of Tribhuvan University Central Library. She also served as the founding director of PEN chapter of Nepal.

Early life and education

Mishra was born on 22 June 1938 (7 Ashadh 1995 BS) in Jhochhen, Kathmandu, as the eldest daughter to father Janaki Lal Shrestha and mother Krishna Devi Shrestha. She had one younger brother and a younger sister.

She received her IA and BA degree from Scottish Church College, Calcutta and an MA degree in history from Calcutta University. In 1959, when the Tribhuvan University Central Library was established, she received an opportunity to study library science in USA. She received an MA degree in library science from George Peabody Library School, Vanderbilt University. She worked in Tribhuvan University for three decades.

She, with her husband wrote a book on library science titled Pustakalaya Bigyan ko Ruprekha. The book was published in . She then wrote a memoir Voice of Truth: The Challenges and Struggles of a Nepalese Woman, depicting the hardships of a woman in South-Asia. The book was published in 1994. She also wrote Tri. Vi. Kendriya Pustakalaya ko Gaurabshali Kahani ra Hamro Sewa, a book on the history of TU Central library, co-written with her husband. She retired in .

She also served as Chairman of Martin Chautari, Advisor to the Sancharika Samuha (Women Media Group), UNESCO Consultant for the construction of a modern library in Bhutan in 1985 and the Vice-Chairman of the Rudra Raj Pandey Sahitya Sewa Samiti. Mishra was also an honorary member of the United Nations Women's Organization and the Active Women of Nepal. She died on 15 May 2019 (1 Jestha 2076 BS) in Indianapolis, Indiana. She is survived by her husband and her daughter.

Honours and legacy She received the International Library Movement Award from India for her extraordinary contribution to the library sector. In 2010, a fund of NPR 433,000 was established to award Narayan-Shanti Mishra Gold Medal and Shanti-Narayan Mishra Gold Medal to the first place student at the postgraduate level in journalism and library science respectively in Tribhuvan University. The donated 1670 books were displayed in the Library in the name of the Shanti Narayan Collection.