South Asian Collections: Using Research Resources for a More General Public

South Asia is a complex and fascinating region. Comprised of India, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and Bhutan, the subcontinent is home to all the world's great religions, to numerous languages and dialects, to ethnic diversity, and to a well‐developed publishing industry. Where formerly South Asia was in the news for gurus, Mahatma Gandhi, or Mother Teresa, today it is before the public in terms of nuclear proliferation in Pakistan and India, ethnic/religious strife in Sri Lanka and India, and the Union Carbide disaster in Bhopal. Through the Library of Congress' five South Asian programs, a number of academic libraries in the United States have developed superb collections, which include contemporary and historical topics, to support teaching and research on South Asia. It is the thesis of this article that these specialized resources should be more widely known and used by our colleagues and the general public.