The Library of the India International Centre established in 1962 is the magnet that draws writers, readers, researchers to its quality collection and beautiful ambience. The Library houses about 54,565 volumes on Philosophy, Psychology, Religion, Social Sciences, Language and Literature, Art and Culture, History, Biography, and has a good number of updated collection of reference books. 

The Library receives about 166 periodicals and newspapers, both national and international through subscriptions, gifts or in exchange. Of these, the scholarly/academic periodicals are bound annually and preserved for reference. The audio-visual collection of the library has more than 5529 CD/DVDs and has a strong archive of audio-visual material on various programmes organised by the IIC. The Library also houses the assistive-technology equipment to facilitate better access to such audio-visual material.

The Library has access to open source e-books and periodicals, especially the back files of the select Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society, Asiatic Researches, Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society of Bengal, e-books which are part of the India Collection and the Himalayan Club collection. The Library will be updating the same with more e-books. 

The books in the Library are classified according to the Dewey Decimal Classification Scheme and develop the catalogue of books into machine-readable form on 'VIRTUA: A VTLS Library Management Software Package'. The Online Public Access Catalogue (OPAC) is available on the Web, which not only provides bibliographic information on the books, but also provides bibliographical information on the articles from the selective editorial books.

Being a member of the DELNET (Developing Library Network), the Library has an advantage of accessing bibliographical information on books and can borrow books on Inter-Library-Loan from different libraries of Delhi and some of the Libraries in other parts of the Country.

Library has access to the e-resources available on JSTOR. It also has ventured to provide selective access to e-books, articles etc. in different formats that are part of the Open Access platforms through the e-book management system 'CALIBRE'.

Library Rules (Main)

Eligibility

  1. Members and Staff of the Centre are eligible to borrow books from the Library following registration as Members of the Library.
  2. Members’ children in the age group of 18–21 (uniformly for boys and girls) may use the reading room facilities.
  3. Residents in the Hostel holding Temporary Membership are eligible to borrow four books and two journals at a time, with a refundable deposit of 5,000/-.
  4. Outstation Members may borrow book/s for a period of one month and return them within the stipulated period, either in person or through a courier service. Overdue charges for each book shall be levied @ 1/- per day for 15 days after the due date, and @ 5/- per day thereafter up to the date of return of the book. No renewals shall be allowed.

Issue of Books and Magazines

  1. Members of the Library may borrow four books at a time for a fortnight.
  2. Books may be renewed only once, at one given period, provided there is no prior reservation.
  3. Reserved books with a waiting list shall be issued only for 10 days and shall not be renewed.
  4. Overdue charges for each book shall be levied @ 1/- per day for 15 days after the due date, and @ 5/- per day thereafter up to the date of return of the book. If a Member so desires, overdue charges of small amounts may be allowed to accumulate and the bill be sent to the Member when the amount totals 25/-.
  5. If there are five or more reservations for a book and the Member who has borrowed the book does not return it after three reminders, that Member shall be debarred from borrowing books from the Library for the next six months. Overdue charges for each book shall be levied @ 1/- per day for 15 days after the due date, and @ 5/- per day thereafter.
  6. Members may make payment in cash or through smart card at the Library Counter.
  7. If a book is not returned within three months from the date of issue, it shall be considered lost. In such an event the Member concerned may either replace the book or pay its current price. In case the loss of the book is reported after three months, the Member concerned will be charged double the cost of the book. In the case of loss of an out-of-print book, the price shall be fixed by the Director, in consultation with the Chief Librarian. The Member is also liable to pay overdue charges in addition to the cost of the book. The Library shall raise the bill for payment by the Member and inform the Accounts Department of the Centre, which shall initiate necessary action.
  8. Books which are 50 years old or more shall not be issued. Reference copies and rare books shall not be issued. They may be consulted only in the Library.
  9. Periodicals not intended for binding are available for issue.
  10. A list of these periodicals is available at the Counter.
  11. No more than two periodicals may be issued at a time.
  12. The Library retains magazines for one year, and newspapers for two months.
  13. The latest issues of dailies, weeklies, fortnightlies and monthlies shall not be issued. Back issues are released to Members as follows: one month later for dailies and weeklies, and two issues later in the case of fortnightlies and monthlies.

Selection of Books

Members may use the ‘Recommendation Slips’ kept at the Library Counter for suggesting new books. If a book suggested by a Member is approved by the Library Committee, the Member will be informed as soon as the book is acquired.

Reservations

A Member may reserve a maximum of four books at a time, either by sending a written request or by registering details of the required titles in the Reservation Cards available at the Library Counter. Online reservation may also be made.

Library Membership Card

  1. IIC Membership Card is used for Library Services, except for the Corporate Member (CM) and Corporate Associate Member (CA). Each Corporate Member and Corporate Associate Member shall be charged @ ₹30/- per Barcoded Library Membership Card.
  2. The Member is requested to show the Membership Card at the Library Counter each time he/she borrows a book. When the book is returned, the Member can take a receipt from the Counter Staff.
  3. The loss of a Library Membership Card should be immediately reported in writing to the Chief Librarian.
  4.  Due care shall be taken by the Library to prevent misuse of the lost Library Membership Card. However, the Library does not accept any responsibility. The Member concerned shall continue to be responsible for any loss of books, etc., owing to the misuse of the lost card even after formally reporting its loss and being issued a duplicate card.
  5. On request, a duplicate Barcoded Library Membership Card will be issued one week after the loss has been reported, for which a passport-sized photograph of the Member has to be deposited with the Library. The Member shall be charged 100/- for the duplicate card.

Discontinuation of Membership

A person ceases to be a Member of the Library when he/she discontinues Membership of the Centre, or, in the case of Staff, when his/her services at the Centre come to an end. In such a case, he/she must return the card and borrowed books to obtain a clearance certificate.

Library Security

  1. Handbags (except small ladies’ purses), are not permitted inside the Library.
  2. Every Member working in the Library is required to deposit his/her bag at the Library Counter and obtain a token.
  3. No cash or valuables shall be kept in the bag. All bags shall be checked by the Staff at the Library Counter.
  4. Non-observance of Library Rules and Regulations shall lead to the withdrawal of the Library facility.
  5. No other reading or audio-visual materials are allowed within the Library, except IIC Library books/journals which are being returned.
  6. In case a Member is conducting research or writing a book, the Librarian may permit such a Member to take his/her personal books to the Reading Room, provided the Member lists such publication(s) in the Request Form and presents the same to the Library Counter for the purposes of verification at the time of leaving the Library. Failure to comply shall lead to the withdrawal of this facility.
  7. Violations of Library Rules or misconduct with Library Staff by any Member shall be viewed seriously and shall lead to the withdrawal of this facility as decided by the Management.

Residents in the Hostel

A Resident in the Hostel, who has registered with the Library, must get a clearance certificate for receiving the refund from the Accounts Section.

 Loss or Damage

  1. The Member shall not remove, mark, deface or disfigure in any way, any volume, document or other objects belonging to the Library or in its custody, and shall not bring into the Library any inflammable material.
  2. Members shall have to make good any loss or damage to Library property.
  3. The loss of a book taken on loan must be reported to the Librarian immediately and positively within three months of its borrowing. In such an event, the Member concerned may either replace the book so lost or pay the current price of the book. If the loss of the book is reported after three months, the Member concerned will be charged double the cost of the book. In the case of loss of an out-of-print book, the price may be fixed by the Director in consultation with the Chief Librarian. The Member is also liable to pay the overdue charges in addition to the cost of the book.

General

Members wearing shorts are not permitted in the Library and in the Reading Room.

Library Timings

  1. Weekdays: 9.00 am to 8.00 pm. From Monday to Saturday and Sundays & Holidays: 10.00 am to 5.00 pm.
  2.  Closed days: The Library will remain closed on the following days: Republic Day, Holi, Independence Day, Gandhi Jayanti, Dussehra and Deepawali. In addition, the Management of IIC may close the Library on any day at its discretion.

Art Reference Library (ARL) Rules:

  • The timings of the Art Reference Library (ARL) are: Weekdays: 9.00 am to 8.00 pm. From Monday to Saturday and Sundays & Holidays: 10.00 am to 5.00 pm. The ARL will remain closed on the following days: Republic Day, Holi, Independence Day, Gandhi Jayanti, Dussehra and Deepawali.
  • Members, Staff of the Centre and Temporary Members registered to use the Main Library are eligible to consult the ARL.
  • Books and other material of the ARL may be used as reference only within the premises of the Library. 
  • Members may use the ‘Recommendation Slip’ available with Library Staff to suggest new books. If the suggested book is approved by the Library Committee, the Member shall be informed accordingly.
  • All Inter-Library Loan requirements and use will be handled by the Main Library.
  • The Library reserves the right to introduce any change in Rules as deemed fit.

Displaying of Unique Artefacts

It has been decided to facilitate the display of one sculpture of an artist at a time in the Art Reference Library for a period of one month. The Library invites Member–Artists to place their sculpture work. For display, the following may be noted.

  • The Artist concerned shall be responsible for the display, upkeep and maintenance of his/her sculpture and shall not claim any compensation from the Centre in the event of damage.