[5] Today, it is run by a private trust, which depends on donations and membership fees.

[6] The library is considered to be among the finest examples of Gothic Revival architecture in the city.

It has two storeys and a mezzanine, and the high-ceilinged reading room has stained glass portraits of the Petit family.

[1] The collection comprises mostly English language-books, but there are some in other languages, including Marathi, Hindi, Gujarati, Sanskrit, Urdu and Persian.

[5] It has a rare copy of the 11th-century epic poem Shahname by Ferdowsi, which is illustrated with gold leaf.