Noushafarin (Noushin) Ansari (born 1939, Simla, India) is an Iranian librarian, educator, author, and one of the pioneers of library and information science in Iran. She has played a leading role in the development of public and children’s libraries, the promotion of reading, and the institutional growth of children’s literature in Iran. Her professional career has been closely associated with the Children’s Book Council of Iran (CBC), the Encyclopedia for Young People (Farhangnameh-e Koodakan va Nojavanan), and the academic development of library and information science at the University of Tehran.

Education

Born into a diplomatic family, Ansari spent her childhood and youth in numerous countries—including India, Sweden, Afghanistan, the Netherlands, Belgium, Pakistan, the Soviet Union, the United Kingdom, and Switzerland—as well as several cities across Iran. These experiences provided her with a broad multicultural perspective and proficiency in several languages.

She studied librarianship at the Geneva School of Librarianship in Switzerland and later earned her master’s degree in Library Science from McGill University in Canada. During her education she gained practical experience in specialized and public libraries, developing a lifelong interest in equitable access to books and information.

Activities and Works

After returning to Iran in 1963, Ansari began collaborating with the founders of the Children’s Book Council of Iran, including Touran Mirhadi, by organizing professional training workshops in librarianship. She later became the Council’s Secretary General and has remained one of its most influential leaders.

She established the Technical Services Department of the University of Tehran Central Library, directed the Library of the Faculty of Literature and Humanities, and joined the Faculty of Library and Information Science at the University of Tehran in 1968. Following the establishment of the Department of Library Science, she served as its head and continued teaching until her retirement in 2000.

Ansari was instrumental in developing rural library programs, preparing one of Iran’s earliest manuals for establishing village libraries, and participating in mobile library initiatives serving hospitals and rural communities.

She has also been one of the principal architects of the Encyclopedia for Young People, working alongside Touran Mirhadi and coordinating the contributions of more than 200 volunteer scholars and writers in producing Iran’s most comprehensive original encyclopedia for children and young adults.

Internationally, she has represented Iran in organizations such as the International Board on Books for Young People (IBBY) and the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA), contributing to global initiatives in children’s literature, literacy promotion, and library development.

Among her principal publications are Establishing Libraries in Villages, Development of Public Libraries, Books for Everyone, numerous scholarly articles on librarianship, and her award-winning Persian translation of Jean Sauvaget’s Introduction to the History of the Muslim East.

Achievements and Awards

Ansari is internationally recognized for her lifelong contributions to librarianship and children’s literature. Her major honors include:

• Iran National Book Award (1988) for her Persian translation of Introduction to the History of the Muslim East by Jean Sauvaget.
• Honorary Membership of the International Board on Books for Young People (IBBY) (2010), awarded in recognition of her lifetime commitment to children’s literature, reading promotion, support for marginalized children, and the advancement of peace through books.
• Appointment to the International Committee of the Nami Island International Picture Book Festival (South Korea, 2010).
• Keynote speaker at the 28th IBBY International Congress in Basel, Switzerland (2002).
• National recognition by the Society for the Appreciation of Cultural Works and Dignitaries (2004).
• Multiple lifetime achievement ceremonies, including honors by Khaneh Ketab (Book House), Bukhara Nights, the Children’s Book Council of Iran, and Iran’s professional library associations.
• A pioneering role in establishing professional librarianship organizations in Iran and educating generations of Iranian librarians and information scientists.