In safe deposit

The status meant that UN sent all its publications to the library. Thus publications of International Labour Organisation ILO, Food and Agriculture Organisation FAO, International Atomic Energy Agency IAEA, International Civil Aviation Organisation ICAO, International Maritime Organisation IMO, World Trade Organisation WTO find a place at the giant mechanical racks of DGL.

Apart from being a UN depository, the DGL has been given library status by the International Monetary Fund, World Bank, International Finance Commission and Government of Canada. 8216;8216;The collection is as diverse as it can get,8217;8217; says librarian Asha Gadre. One can find the 8216;Least developed countries report of 20048217; side by side with the 8216;Highlights of space8217; in the depository.

THE library also boasts of publications by UN8217;s predessesor, the League of Nations. Annually, the DGL receives more than 1,000 publications from UN and nearly 500 from other international organisations and agencies.

But the depository is not the DGL8217;s sole asset. In the rare books section, Works of the famous Nicholas Machiavel, Citizen and Secretary of Florence published in 1680 is a treasured piece. In addition, rare documents like the Report of the Deccan Riots Commission 1875, Encyclopedia of India published in 1858 as well as many travelogues, survey reports, budget reports, socio economic reports of princely states and provinces of 18th and 19th century make the library a treasure trove for research scholars. The rare books section is housed at the century old Servants of India Society building.

The serial publication section of the library has more than 51,000 publications and includes an unbroken chain of census reports right from 1872 to 2001. In fact there are unbroken sets of many economic journals, both Indian and foreign as well as debates of Lok sabha, Rajya Sabha since independence along with budget reports of all the Indian states. There are 2,000 bound volumes of journals in the library and it receives 440 journal titles. The total collection of DGL exceeds 2.4 lakh.

8216;8216;If you need Part 1, volume 1 of any economic journal, you will find it here,8217;8217; says Sharwan Kejriwal, director of department of adult education, University of Pune, who was smitten by DGL8217;s collection after his first visit in 1985. 8216;8216;It is the Mecca for any serious research scholar in social sciences and economics8217;8217;.

8216;8216;The secret lies in the fact that we do not go through book catalogues but the reviews,8217;8217; says documentation officer P N Rath.

Other library members like Rajashree Joshi, a regular visitor for the past five years, chips in with more praise. 8216;8216;They not only have a mind boggling collection, but also an excellent system of management. This is unlike all the libraries that I have visited,8217;8217; she says.

Any book that is returned, finds its way to its rack within 24 hours. Published reports, annual reports, journal series are hard bound as soon as they complete a volume. Strangely, one cannot see a speck of dust in any of the books in the library stacks.

But it has its share of problems. The government publications are not free any more. Thus, the library, which used to procure any government publication related to economics or political science, now has to pick and choose as funds are not enough. 8216;8216;But we are managing8217;8217; says Rath.