Mission of the New Delhi Office

The mission of the New Delhi Office is to identify, acquire, and catalog materials for the Library of Congress from the countries of South Asia where conventional acquisitions methods are not effective. The office also manages Cooperative Acquisitions Programs on behalf of other North American research libraries, and a Preservation Microfilm Program that microformats acquired items in immediate need of preservation reformatting.

The office acquires publications through a network of four representatives in neighboring countries; many book dealers with whom we maintain approval plan agreements; extensive exchange arrangements with numerous institutions; and direct calls on sources of publications.

Acquisitions for the Library of Congress are geared to the information needs of our primary clients--members of Congress and their staffs. Acquisitions for participating libraries in the Cooperative Acquisitions Programs serve the teaching and research needs of the academic community, and, increasingly, of the estimated one million Americans of South Asian descent.

The New Delhi office and its sub-offices collect a wide range of material dealing with South Asia including monographs, newspapers, journals, official gazettes, pamphlets, maps, sound and video recordings, and electronic media.