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The Library
The Library
The Institute has a very impressive library. It has grown
into one of the most prestigious
and well-equipped academic resources of the country. At the
initial stage this was made possible through the tremendous
efforts of dedicated individuals like Shri B. S. Kesavan,
then Director of the Indian National Scientific Documentation
Centre, New Delhi. As Library Advisor to the Institute, he
was able to place ten thousand volumes on the shelves on the
day of the Institute's inauguration on 20th October, 1965.
The library's collection was further enriched by the acquisition
of private collections of eminent scholars. Organizations
like the British Council, the Asia Foundation, and League
of Arab Nations have made generous gifts of hundreds of rare
pamphlets and books. Later, the library obtained rare Sanskrit,
Arabic and Persian texts and manuscripts containing miniature
paintings.
Collection
Over the past four decades of its existence, the library has
built up a collection of a little over 1.50 lakh volumes of
books including around 40,000 back volumes of journals, microfilms
and other documents. The present subscription list includes
almost 320 journals. The collection of the back volumes of
the journals includes many reputed titles like Analysis,
Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal, Journal of the Bihar
and Orissa Research Society, Journal of the American Oriental
Society, Journal of Ganganath Jha Research Institute, Mind,
Nature, Man and numerous other titles. While building
up its collection, there has always been a conscious endeavour
to maintain a balanced growth of collections. The collection
consists of both primary as well as secondary resources covering
both the broad subject areas of research in social sciences
and humanities as well as highly advanced areas of interdisciplinary
research like science and consciousness, working of mind,
various facets of ancient Indian history, culture and civilization,
postmodernism, theoretical and cultural studies pertaining
to philosophy, religion, political science and sociology,
gender and environmental studies, socio-economic planning
and development, Gandhian studies, Islamic studies, applied
mathematics and the like.
Currently, the main focus of the library is on filling up
major gaps in the collection in the areas of research relating
to Central Asia, South Asia and Southeast Asia. During the
past two years, the library has acquired almost all the publications
of more than twenty institutions specializing in Indological
studies. Ever since its inception, the selection of books
for the library has been careful, judicious and adequate.
All scholars in position at the Institute have been actively
engaged in the book selection process. In fact, the majority
of books and periodicals are acquired on the recommendation/selection
of scholars in position.
Special Wings
Besides the main wing of the Library which consists of English
language publications, the Library has developed the following
separate wings:
i. Hindi language publications
ii. Sanskrit texts
iii. Publications in modern Indian languages other than
Hindi
iv. Professor R. C. Majumdar collection
v. Professor H. C. Ray Chaudhuri collection
vi. Professor Hari Shankar Srivastava Collection
vii. Special collection of classics consisting of publications
like Tibetan Tripitaka (168 Vols.) and the publications
brought out under Loeb Classical Library series of Harvard
University Press, Sacred Books of the East, Great Books
of the Western World etc.
viii. Wings consisting of Arabic, Persian and Urdu manuscripts
as well as printed publications.
Computerization/ Library Automation
The library commenced the work pertaining to computerization
of its housekeeping operations way back in 1989. The routine
house-keeping operations like acquisition, cataloguing, circulation
and maintenance stand computerized. It has since built up
its database pertaining to books which can now be retrieved
from shelves by consulting the OPAC (Online Public Access
Catalogue).
The library has a LCD video projector, scanner and VCD/DVD
player for its audio video wing where it is proposed to organize
regular demonstrations of library databases to acquaint scholars
with different computer operations for accessing OPAC, INTERNET
and DELNET databases. It has also acquired a substantial number
of DVD/VCDs of classic films, many depicting the various facets
of Indian culture and there are plans to screen these films
on a regular basis. Presently, two plain paper copiers are
installed in the library; one for use by the Fellows and the
other for attending to the work of the IUC Associates and
official work.
Library Services
The library provides services to its users according to the
rules framed and approved by the authorities from time to
time. A copy of the library rules can be obtained on request
from the Librarian. Admission to the library is normally restricted
to bona fide members. Consultation with restricted access
is, however, extended to certain categories of non-members,
mainly teachers of universities and colleges, against a nominal
membership fee fixed by the authorities. The library has an
arrangement for obtaining materials in different forms for
Fellows and IUC Associates from other libraries of the country.
Photocopying facilities are extended to members, subject to
the provisions of the Copyright Act.
Publications
The Library brings out a quarterly 'List of Additions' containing
bibliographic data of the books acquired by it during the
preceding quarter. Select bibliographies on the themes of
seminars held at the Institute are also brought out periodically
by the library. Such bibliographies can be provided to interested
scholars on request.
Future Projections
One of the urgent tasks that the library proposes to take
up in the near future is the development of a virtual library
consisting of full text databases of its rare and out of print
collections. It also plans to include in the virtual library
the full text of the publications brought out by the Institute.
For further information pertaining to the Library please contact:
Librarian, Telefax 0177-2830105/ 2830996.
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