Shastri Indo-Canadian Institute

Library Programme Order Procedure

This webpage covers the general procedures to follow when purchasing books, periodicals or other library materials through the facilities of the Shastri Indo-Canadian Institute (SICI). It is only as current as recent updates can make it. If there are areas that are not discussed, or situations that are not covered fully, members of the Executive of the Library Committee can be called on as resource persons.

Ordering library materials, either in printed formats or audio-visual formats, involves communication between the member universities and the staff of the SICI, New Delhi Office. The address of the New Delhi office is:

Shastri Indo-Canadian Institute
5, Bhai Vir Singh Marg,
New Delhi- 110 001
India

Telephone : (0091-11) 2374-2677, 2374-6417, 2374-3114
Fax : (0091-11) 23746416
E-mail : .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

The Programme Officer is the contact person for matters that relate to the ordering and processing of materials through the New Delhi Office. Each university has an acquisitions programme that depends on the nature of its collection needs, number of graduate courses, faculty involved in current research and so on. With the intent of rationalizing resources and maintaining and building on several research level collections, the Resource Libraries have higher allocations than the Support Libraries whose allocations are largely meant to fund programme at their own institution.

Libraries become active in the Library Programme when their university joins the Institute. They receive their allocation after approval of the budget by the Shastri Board of Directors. Once the funding has been received by the Institute, the Library is notified of its allocation and may begin placing orders.
As orders are placed with Delhi Office the acquisitions budget of each university is adjusted. Monthly expenditure statements are sent to each Library Committee Representative reflecting current account and future projections of expenditure. Expenditures are the net cost of items purchased, and estimated commitments represent new orders sent out to dealers but not yet received. Monthly statements for Book shipment are also sent to each members.

In general, soft cover books greater than fifty (50) pages in length are bound prior to shipment. However, individual libraries may request this binding not be done. Material is shipped about 3-4 times a month by registered parcel post in packets weighing between 10-15 Kgs. The postage is paid and then the packets are delivered to the address in Canada. Rush items may be sent by air if requested, or separately in small packages as directed. Every effort is made by the Delhi Office to conserve expenditures and to run an efficient operation. Discounts on the Indian price of commercial items are negotiated by the Delhi Office. Discounts are passed on to the libraries.

All purchases are in rupee funds, as the Institute does not have the facility to purchase material in dollars. As well, it is not able to purchase items published outside of the current geographic boundaries of India. Imprints more than fifty years old cannot be purchased through the Institute.

Besides documents in English language, titles in vernacular languages are also acquired under the programme. Members in Canada have also purchased non-print documents such as microfilms, films, records, video caseettes, CDs etc. Manuscripts are generally not available for export.

Faculty requests for library materials should be directed to the Library Committee representative, or designate, at each member university. Procedures to ensure that material is accurately described and that duplicate purchases are avoided, is the responsibility of the Library Committee representative of respective library. To some extent the Delhi Office will query duplicate orders, but this is not always possible.

Ordering

Initially each library should write to the Programme Officer in Delhi Office and indicate to whom correspondence and statements are to be sent. (This is a seized publication so please omit this portion.) A library may acquire its materials by Firm orders or may establish Blanket order plan.

A. Firm Order

Firm orders are those requests for purchase that are sent out individually by each library to the Delhi Office (The Delhi Office sometimes refers to firm orders as special orders). Each title should be described on a library purchase order form, giving as complete a bibliographic description as is possible. The Delhi Office prefers to have two (2) copies of the purchase order, and will return one with the material. Materials may also be ordered via letter, fax or E-mail, in which case the Delhi Office staff will make its own slip.

Each firm order must indicate a publisher or a distributor for the items wanted, and if possible, source where that item can be obtained, such as on out-of-print dealer, a university department etc. The Indian book trade is very large, scattered over a continent, and with only limited tools for bibliographic control. The Delhi Office maintains a working list of book vendors and distributors to acquire materials arranged by language or by geographic area.

When the material is received by the Delhi Office, it is sorted by university, the accounts are adjusted, some titles may be bound, and then the material is prepared for weighing and shipment. Each book has small bookplate of the Institute affixed to the front end paper, and the copy of the original order is attached as well. Parcels are marked on the outside with a packet number and with B/O or S/O, to indicate whether they are respectively blanket order books or firm order books. A monthly statement is sent to each library indicating the details of each book shipment sent, the time period, library packet number and number of books sent. A note on any periodicals sent separately may also be included. This statement is a useful cross-check on receipts.

Government documents are included in the book parcels whereas serials are sent separately by registered book parcels once a month by sea and twice a month by air as per instructions from the library.

The turn-around time on firm orders varies with the type of material ordered. Vernacular titles may take longer than titles in English, if they cannot be supplied from New Delhi dealers. A turn around time of six months seems to be average. Many academics, publishers and librarians in India are aware of the difficulties in obtaining current imprints and their concerns are a matter of public record. The SICI India office staff is aware of these concerns, and maintains regular contact with many individuals in the book trade.

B. Blanket Orders

A blanket plan is an alternative method for acquiring Indian imprints. After a suitable subject profile has been drawn up in Canada, the Delhi staff acquires materials that fall under the guidelines of the subject profile. A large card file is maintained on all titles supplied on all blanket plans, and on this is a record of which universities have received that title. Subject profiles are based on the general classification scheme of the Indian National Bibliography, with other form exclusions.

C. Serials and Government Documents

Serials and Government documents are treated as standing orders and renewal for such documents are done on regular basis. A Kardex is maintained of all such publications that are supplied on a subscription basis to libraries in Canada. Serials are sent through airmail only.

D. Databases of Orders

Apart from the existing database in Bibbase for special orders, efforts are taking place to develop databases for all types of orders deal in the India Office using WIN_ISIS.

Binding/Postage/Catalogue Cards/Etc.

All charges to a library are itemized on a monthly expenditure statement. Postage is charged according to the cost of each bulk shipment. There is no attempt to pro-rate postage charges against the contents of each package. When special charges are incurred such as airmail, they may appear on the statements as special notes. In addition, the Delhi Office purchases packing material for the mailing of books on an annual or biannual basis. The cost of the material is charged to the individual libraries on a proportional basis according to the annual budget allocations (A proposal has been made to the Library committee to set aside annual budget for this purpose).

Soft cover books greater than fifty (50) pages are as a routine bound prior to shipment, unless a library requests otherwise. The binding is done in New Delhi by a commercial binder.

The Delhi Office is always ready to co-operate with each member university in the acquisition of library materials or in service to researchers, and will promptly answer all correspondence and enquiries.