The American Institute for Sri Lankan Studies (AISLS) recently launched its Guide to Research Libraries in Sri Lanka. It is designed for students and scholars in the humanities, social sciences and related fields. Each of the nineteen entries provides information on the location, contact information, access requirements, facilities, and subject strengths of each library. The guide is not comprehensive, and AISLS expects to add more entries in the future.
The guide's origins lie in the efforts of the AISLS Colombo Center library staff to direct patrons to specialist collections in subjects not covered comprehensively by the AISLS library. AISLS has very strong coverage of academic books in disciplines such as history, anthropology, politics and religious studies, but they do not collect reports by non-governmental organizations, and they do not have an extensive collection in areas such as archaeology. The entries in this guide serve to direct library patrons to specialist collections in a broad range of fields.
Each library was visited by AISLS Colombo Center staff. AISLS would like to thank Crystal Baines, Vagisha Gunasekara, Widya Kumarasinghe and Ramla Wahab-Salman for their efforts in this regard.
For more information and to view the guide, please click here.
The American Institute for Sri Lankan Studies (AISLS) is a member center of the Council of American Overseas Research Centers.
AISLS was established in 1996 and its central objectives are to promote U.S. research and teaching on Sri Lanka and to strengthen links between U.S. and Sri Lankan scholars and institutions. Its main focus is on the humanities, social sciences, and related fields.