Songtsen Library functions as a non-political institution. Besides its aim to collect and preserve books on Tibetan and Himalayan Studies, it is also engaged in research and publication on various subjects related to Tibet and the Himalayas. The institution is named after the 33^rd Tibetan King, Songtsen Gampo (617-650). The building's architecture is inspired by Yumbu Lhakar (yum bu lha mkhar), Tibet’s oldest known building, popularly known as Tibet's first castle, predating the era of Songsten Gampo.