South Asia Studies

Our South Asia collection consists of a large assortment of materials dealing with all nations of the subcontinent: India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Tibet, Afghanistan, Nepal, the Maldives, and Bhutan. 

The collection has many English language materials, but most of the vernacular languages of South Asia are represented. We focus specifically on gathering materials in Hindi, Sanskrit, Urdu, Tamil and, more recently, Oriya. We are one of only 3 libraries collecting Oriya language materials in depth. 

In addition to materials acquired through more traditional channels, the collection has been enriched by acquisitions trips to India. In particular, we focus on acquiring ephemeral materials. They cover varied topics such as religious ephemera (bazaar literature), materials on agricultural workers and rights, and indigenous medical systems (such as siddha). These books/pamphlets are primary materials that are not recorded in Western libraries and, as such, fill in some serious gaps. 

We subscribe to a number of databases for scholarly journal access, as well as the Bibliography of Asian Studies (BAS). Other more specialized databases include the East Indian Company and South Asia Archive. We also add microfilm sets as appropriate.

Strong consortia connections help us broaden the collection and provide access to a larger universe of materials. These include the Committee on South Asian Libraries and Documentation and South Asian Materials Project, as well as the Center for Research Libraries.

Materials are held in libraries across campus, including a historically significant collection of maps in the Clark Library, feature films in the Askwith Media Library, and other significant holdings located in the Law, Fine Arts, and Music Libraries.