Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris (UPSI) officially took over the Perpustakaan Za’ba from Institut Perguruan Sultan Idris(IPSI) on 1st January 1998. The library which was a heritage of the Sultan Idris Training College for Malay Teachers (SITC) started with two rooms Bilik Khir and Bilik Dussek known as the Bilek Bachaan on the first floor of the Bangunan Suluh Budiman. With the change of name to Maktab Perguruan Sultan Idris in 1957 a library building known as Khutub Khanah MPSI was erected at the rear of Bangunan Suluh Budiman on the right side to the dining hall building.
The needs for a library and other resources arise accordingly with the increasing number of students. Khutub Khanah MPSI then moved to Sekolah Datuk Abdul Razak’s dining hall in 1985. There, it continued its services when the institution was upgraded to Institut Perguruan Sultan Idris (IPSI) in 1987 and named Perpustakaan IPSI. It was then named Perpustakaan Za’ba in conjunction with the 75th Years Celebration of SITC/ MPSI /IPSI in 1994. In September 1996, Perpustakaan Za’ba was relocated back to Bangunan Suluh Budiman but this time it occupies the whole of the 1st floor.
The needs for library services rose accordingly with the increasing number of students. Since 1998 the university had spent RM20 million to upgrade and update its collection of library materials. This does not include furniture, library security system and other related equipments. The number of staff also increased from 4 in early 1998 to 59 in 2005. From that number 17 was professional staff trained in librarianship.
In 1999 the university had approved the construction of a new building with 13,063 square meters of floor space. The building equipped with lifts for users is completed by the end of 2003. Other facilities include exhibition area, bookshop, cyber cafe, 24 hour reading room, baggage area, discussion room, research room, auditorium, IT training room, meeting room, viewing room, conservation and printing room and surau. Other facilities such as area to put the monographs collection, serials and multimedia were also not neglected.
To increase its services the building will be equipped with the latest information, communications and technology (ICT) facilities and linked to UPSINet. The acquisition of a world class Integrated Library Management System is completed by the end of 2002.
It is hoped that all facilities will be the catalyst to the teaching, learning, research activities and publication in the university.