Renovating the South Asian Collection
Brief Project Description
The South Asia Research Unit (SARU) at Curtin University of Technology,
in partnership with La Trobe University, Monash University, Flinders
University, the National Centre for South Asian Studies, the National
Library of Australia, the University of New England and Sydney
University have attracted funding from the Department of Employment, Education and Training (DEET)
to undertake a major two-part project designed to renovate the
national South Asian collection. Collaborating partners met at
Flinders University in Adelaide on the 15th and 16th December
1995 to make the final decisions and put in place the mechanisms
necessary to run such an ambitiousproject.
The project, which consists of two stages, is already underway.
Stage 1: The Survey
- The project aims to satisfy the needs of scholars, librarians
and general users in the future. It plans to identify the unlisted
South Asian materials in Australia and to ensure that they can
be found by researchers anywhere in Australia or the world. It
also wants to ensure that the work done has maximum compatibility
with other systems, and is compatible with, and available on,
National Library databases. A database, which will be setup and
maintained at Curtin University, will be made available on the
World Wide Web and will be easily accessible and searchable by
scholars and others.
Stage 2: Acquisitions/Libraries
-
Alongside the survey, the project will initiate an acquisitions
program in order to replenish and expand the National Collection.
This program will be accelerated as the survey identifies those
areas that are most in need of attention. In addition, the project
will facilitate the development of a corps of librarians who are
interested in and have a knowledge of South Asia. It will do this
in the first instance by sending a number of librarians to the
South Asian region where they will visit and establish links with
libraries and librarians.
The South Asia Research Unit is keen to keep South Asianists around
the world up-to-date with the progress of this project and will
post regular bulletins on appropriate electronic bulletin boards.
We also encourage anyone interested in the project, or who may
wish to assist in any way, to contact SARU.
SARU can be contacted by mail:
-
Terry Richards
South Asia Research Unit
Curtin University of Technology
PO Box U1987
PERTH WA 6001
Telephone: +61 9 3513331
Facsimile: 61 9 3513166
E-mail: richards@spectrum.curtin.edu.au or T.Richards@spectrum.curtin.edu.au
Return to Renovating the South Asian Collection
Last updated 16 February 1996