THE LIBRARY AND ITS COLLECTION

The library is open at the following times:

Tuesday          10.00-5.00
Wednesday     2.00-5.00
Thursday         2.00-5.00

PLEASE NOTE THAT THE LIBRARY WILL BE CLOSED FROM WEDNESDAY 4TH APRIL FOR EASTER, RE-OPENING ON TUESDAY 10TH APRIL. Readers are advised to make an appointment in advance.

The Library consists of around 80,000 volumes. Fellows and other readers are welcome to consult material by prior arrangement. The geographical scope is all of Asia including the Middle East but there is also a certain amount of material on Islamic North Africa. The library does not have a major acquisitions budget and so the focus of the collections, with the exception of the journals, is historical rather than contemporary. Most of the books are in the area of the humanities. Sciences and ethnography are covered only peripherally. The Society's collection of Chinese books is deposited on permanent loan at the University of Leeds.

The Society also has significant collections of manuscripts, paintings, prints and drawings, personal papers, photographs, maps and coins which have been donated by Fellows, mainly in the nineteenth century. Major collections include the Tod collection of Indian manuscripts and paintings, the Hodgson collection of Buddhist Sanskrit manuscripts, the Ram Raz collection of architectural drawings, the Raffles and Maxwell collections of Malay manuscripts and the Howell collection of early photographs of China and Japan.

Access to the collections is restricted to members of staff, but readers may select material by consulting the various catalogues and handlists (link to page with lists of catalogues). A comprehensive on-line catalogue of the Society's collections is in preparation. Fellows may take books on loan (generally post-1900 books in reasonable condition) but certain categories of books may only be consulted in the library.

REPROGRAPHIC FACILITIES

Photocopies within the limits of copyright law can only be made by library staff and at the discretion of the librarian. Large books, folded maps, manuscripts, prints and drawings and fragile material will not be copied. A charge will be made.

Microfilms. There are no in-house facilities for microfilming but the Society can provide a quotation on request for having a microfilm copy made by a commercial company.

Photographs, transparencies and digital images can be provided but the Society is likely to need the services of a professional photographer. If the Society already holds a suitable photographic reproduction, it can arrange for this to be copied by a commercial company. Estimates of the cost of these services should be requested before an order is placed.

All enquiries about reprographic facilities should be addressed to the librarian or the Curator. A substantial number of photographs of works in the Society's collections are also available, for a fee, from the Bridgeman Art Library. Details can be found on their web site at www.bridgeman.co.uk

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