This page describes selected highlights of the SAMP collection.  It does not represent the complete holdings of SAMP, but rather a representative description of some of the items in the collection.  For access to all of SAMP's holdings, please search the CRL Catalog [5].

The Antiseptic:  a monthly journal of medicine and surgery

SAMP acquired microfilm holdings of this title.  A guide listing the included issues is available here.
Catalog Record [6]  Guide [7]

Archaeological Survey of India.  Circle reports

Since the middle of the 19th century, the Archaeological Survey of India has been working to explore, excavate, conserve, preserve and protect the monuments and sites of national & international importance.  Within the organization, the country is divided into a number of zones (called "Circles") for the purpose of archaeological work. 
Guide [8]

Buchanan-Hamilton Manuscripts

Twenty volumes of survey accounts, natural history drawings, and other material of Francis Buchanan (1762-1829), held at the Oriental and India Office of the British Library.  Buchanan was a surgeon in the Bengal Service from 1794 to 1816, botanist and ichthyologist, who was employed by the Company on many special missions and on general survey work.
Catalog Record [9]  Guide [10]

Church Missionary Society. South India (Madras) Mission

SAMP has filmed records from the CMS archives for the South India mission, including "Letter book" papers for 1830-1865 and "Mission book" papers for 1834-1862.
Catalog Record [11]  Guide [12]

Confidential Publications and Home Political Files

-from Indian National Archives, Confidential Publications and Home Political Files, reels 1-19.  Filmed in 1973.
The collection consists of two major series and two publications (one on a committee appointed to inquire into the position of students in the UK and a second on Frauds in the UP Treasury) considered confidential and never released.
The first series consists of "Indian Press Reports", "Statements on the Indian press" and "Notes" on the press, all products of the British CID surveillance apparatus.  The Reports contain background on every newspaper.  Another set of reports, often printed before the Statements, surveys the tone of the press during the year in question.
The second series consists of confidential reports on Indian publications.  Many of these, non-confidential, are found in the selections from the Government of India records.  However, that public set stops after 1900.  The comments and analysis, both of religious and political trends, were considered so controversial that the publications did not circulate.  SAMP therefore has a virtually complete set, 1900-1945, which is not available in the IOL/IOR.
Catalog Record [13]   Guide [14]

Dastan-i Amir Hamza

The Dastan-i Amir Hamzah is an epic story featuring Amir Hamza, the uncle of the prophet Mohammed. The stories evolved from centuries of oral recitation, gradually assuming a more fixed form in the 18th century. The Newal Kishore Press edition represents one of the most complete Urdu adaptations of the tale, encompassing more than 46 volumes published over the course of 25 years. 
Catalog Record for microfilm set [15]  Catalog Record for DVD set [16]

Documentation of Emergency Period in India (June 1975 - March 1977)

-collected and edited by Arun Limaye
After the election of 1977 in India, it was soon realized that future historians would have a serious problem writing about the period 1975-77 since the Indian newspapers were heavily censored.  In an attempt to find out alternative sources, scholars realized that letters written by and to the political activists formed a very important source.  The Limaye papers consist of over 10,000 letters written during this period in English, Hindi, and Marathi.  The letters most notably illuminate the background of the formation of the Janata Party.
Catalog Record [17]  Guide [18]

India Land Settlement Reports

SAMP holds a near complete collection of available Indian Land Survey and Settlement Reports, filmed at the British Library's India Office Library.  This collection reflects an important source of material for the study of Indian rural society, particularly economic and social changes during the period of British rule in India.
Guides for Land Settlement Reports on:  Bangladesh [19]  Bombay Presidency [20]  Burma [21]  India States or Union Territories [22]  Indian Princely States [23]  Madras Presidency [24]  Pakistan [25]

India Office Records. Home Miscellaneous Series

SAMP purchased this 334 reel collection containing most of the main surviving documents relating to the London administration of India and Burma before independence.  The series includes 814 volumes of documents covering most aspects of the British connection with India from the early seventeenth to the nineteenth century.  The collection is described in Samuel Charles Hill's 'Catalogue of the Home Miscellaneous Series' (available at CRL - Ref. copy Z1033.M6 H648), and can be searched through the Access 2 Archives database [26] of the UK National Archives (search "Home Miscellaneous" for a complete listing of manuscripts IOR/H/1-IOR/H/864). 
Catalog Record [27]  Guide [28]

Indian Newspaper Reports (Extracts from the Native Press, 1868-1937)

Translated extracts of vernacular press in India.
Online guide to Adam Matthew collection [29]

Indian Proscribed Tracts, 1907-1947

Periodicals and pamphlets banned by the British India government for their content.
Catalog Record [30]  Guide [31]

Joint IMC/CBMS (International Missionary Council, Conference of British Missionary Societies) Archives:  Africa & India, 1910-1945

SAMP purchased this collection on microfiche in collaboration with the Cooperative Africana Materials Project (CAMP).
Catalog Record [32]  Guide [33]

Legislative Assembly Debates

This collection covers a range of historic legislative assembly proceedings from India (Assam, Bihar, Bengal, Bombay, Central Provinces and Berar, Coorg, Kerala, Madras, Orissa, Punjab, United Provinces of Agra and Oudh), Pakistan (Northwest Frontier Province, East Bengal, Sind), Burma, and Ceylon.  Titles are cataloged individually.
Guide [34]

Methodist Missionary Society Archives

In conjunction with CRL, CAMP and LAMP, SAMP purchased sections of the minutes, reports and correspondense in manuscript and typescript of the Wesleyan Methodist Missionary Society and the Primitive Methodist Missionary Society, which merged with the United Methodist Missionary Society in 1932 to form the Methodist Missionary Society.  SAMP's holdings include India and Ceylon minutes as well as correspondence with the Ceylon mission.
Guide [35]

Newspapers from South Asia

Various projects have preserved newspapers from South Asia.  Search the CRL Catalog's Newspaper scope [36], selecting by country.

Norman Gerald Barrier collection of South Asian political tracts

A collection of pamphlets and publications concerning political and historical topics, covering roughly 1930-1971 (bulk 1960-1971).
Catalog Record [37]  Guide [38]

Political Records filmed Spring 1969, selected by N. G. Barrier.

-from the National Archives of India.
Selections from Home Political files 1907-1943, Home Establishment file 1930, and Home Public files 1908-1928.
Catalog Record [39]  Guide [40]

Popular Literature in Hindi and Urdu

-compiled by Frances W. Pritchett
Collection on microfiche of South Asian popular literature in Hindi, Urdu, and related dialects. Consists primarily of qissah (narrative "chapbook" literature) and nautanki (folk-opera) texts, as well as other indigenous folk genres in prose and verse published from the late 19th Century to 1978
Catalog Record [41]  Guide [42]

SAMP Early Panjabi Imprints project

SAMP has microfilmed vernacular holdings at the India Office Library and Records, including 80 volumes (about 46,000 pages) of Panjabi tracts held in the IOL.  These 340 reels are currently uncataloged, but a guide is available for loan E-10816. 

Selected works on Indian literatures and cultures

Collection of 13 works by Garcin de Tassy primarily on Hindustani language and literature.
Catalog Record [43]  Guide [44]

Selections from the records of the Government of India, 1849-1937

This large series consists of 346 volumes of important records pertaining to a variety of aspects of the history of the Brisith administration in India.  The records, originally housed in the India Office Library and Records of the British Library, range from Dutch records in Madras to land revenue settlements and other matters, and deal with not only Indian territories but Burma, Aden, Tibet, and other countries adjacent to the sub-continent.  Purchased from IDC on 3032 microfiche (with other sections available on microfilm from the Library of Congress), a print index and guide to the collection is also available for loan.
Guide [45]

South Asia ephemera collection

Available on microfiche, this is a large collection of pamphlets assembled by the Library of Congress New Delhi office.  It covers a wide range of topics and includes all countries of South Asia.  The collection is cataloged separately by title - access to the entire set can be found in the CRL Catalog.
Catalog Search [46]

Sukumar Sen papers

SAMP has microfilmed the manuscripts of Sukumar Sen, one of the most eminent Bengali linguists and literary scholars of the 20th century.  The manuscript collection, assembled by the late Professor Sen over the course of his life, is held near Calcutta and contains many rare block prints and some sole exemplars of texts.  SAMP dispatched one of its portable cameras in the region to perform the filming. 
Catalog Record [47]  Guide [48]

Tracts and Miscellaneous Printed Material

9 reels of published and unpublished works 1850-1920, selected from the India Office Library by Norman Gerald Barrier.
Catalog Record [49]  Guide [50]

All of SAMP’s cataloged holdings are recorded in the OCLC database and in CRL’s online catalog [5].

Because the SAMP collection has more than 22,000 individually described items, issuing a print guide to the collection is no longer practical. This page features partial lists and descriptions of SAMP’s collections, such as serial holdings in microform from all regions of South Asia, that do not lend themselves to descriptions in Guides to Collections [1].

Newspapers held by SAMP

Updated in January 2012.  Link to list of SAMP Newspaper holdings [51].

Selected Serials held by SAMP

Updated in February 2012.  Link to list of SAMP Serials holdings [52].

Legislative Council Debates held by SAMP

Updated in February 2012.  Link to list of SAMP Holdings of Legislative Council Debates [53].

Recent Receipts and Cataloged Items

These lists of recently received and cataloged SAMP items are provided to members at the annual SAMP meeting.

• March 2012 [54]
• March 2013 [55]
• March 2014 [56]
• March 2015 [57]
• March 2016 [58]
• March 2017 [59]
• March 2018 [60]
• March 2019 [61]

This page highlights current projects and will include project summaries and updates.
Completed projects may be listed in SAMP’s Guides to Collections [1] page.

Amir Khusraw’s selected works

Amir Khusraw is one of the most important figures in the cultural history of the South Asian subcontinent. Many of the printed editions of his works are extremely rare and in need of preservation. This project will both preserve the editions carefully selected by senior scholars and improve access to those editions.

The Antiseptic

The Antiseptic [6] was the earliest English language journal dedicated to medicine to be published from Madras.  It was founded by Rao Saheb U. Rama Rao and for many years was edited by Dr. T. M. Nair, a co-founder of Justice Party, a precursor to the Dravidian Movement.  In addition to articles on medicine, it carries articles related to medical history and medical education in early Madras.  It contains book reviews, notices on conferences during the period, case studies, and advertisements. SAMP will acquire 66 reels of microfilm covering 1904 through 1969 for this title, which was preserved by the Roja Muthiah Research Library in India.

Bihar Ki Khabren

This Urdu publication by the government of Bihar's Public Relations Department is contributed by the University of Virginia.  SAMP has microfilmed [62] and digitized [63] Virginia's holdings from the early 1960s. 

Centre for Studies in Social Sciences, Calcutta (CSSSC)

The CSSSC possesses some of the most distinctive Bengali literary and historical journals in existence in its Hitesranjan Sanyal Memorial Collection. This material was preserved in Calcutta, though positive copies of film were never made. SAMP has entered into an agreement with the CSSSC to duplicate the important holdings of 19th-century Bengali periodicals, monographs, and reports filmed from the Bangiya Sahitya Parishat and other collections. The 576 reels of film produced will be delivered to SAMP, while digital copies will be made available to the CSSSC for local use. For information on this collection, visit www.cssscal.org/ [64].

India Land Settlement Reports

SAMP continues to attempt to acquire all land settlement reports. The British Library has additional reports on film not available previously. For details, see the original proposal [65].

Microfilming of Indian Publications Project

To date, approximately 24,000 of the 55,000 projected titles have been filmed under the auspices of this grant (originally supported by the United States-India Fund (USIF) and the U.S. National Endowment for the Humanities [66]) and its follow-up activities. The Government of India has decided to withdraw its financial commitment to this project. SAMP urges the continuation of the bilateral commitment and ongoing participation in the project.

Nepali Newspapers (Madan Puraskar Pustakalaya, Kathmandu)

SAMP has approved a proposal to acquire newspapers filmed by the Madan Puraskar Pustakalaya (MPP), which were never duplicated. SAMP will fund duplication of the material in exchange for film copies, and will provide additional funding for the MPP to continue filming materials. Titles available to date include: Ajako samacarapatra [67] [Dec 1995–Sept 1999], Samiksha [68] [May 1960–Aug. 1975], and Udhyoga [69] [Aug 1935–Apr 1949].

Official Publications of India

SAMP will receive a duplicate copy of up to 17,000 volumes of the Official Publications of India. This material will be sent to Chennai for processing, cataloging, and microfilming.

South Asian publications on microfiche

Since 1981, SAMP has been cooperating with CRL in purchasing the complete set of South Asia publications in microfiche produced by the Library of Congress field office in New Delhi [70]. CRL purchases all serial titles, while SAMP purchases monographs. The collection is shelved by microfiche number; titles can be accessed through CRL’s catalog (incomplete), the Library of Congress publications "Accessions List: South Asia" (–1996) and "The South Asian Bibliographer" (1998–present).

Sunday Observer

The Sunday Observer (Madras) is one of the most important English periodicals associated with the Self Respect Movement, founded by E. V. Ramasamy Naicker. The newspaper was published from 1930 to 1957 and contained articles written by important leaders of the period. The activities of the Justice Party and the Self Respect Movement, both of which laid the ground for the later Dravidian Movement, are well documented in the newspaper. No copies have been traced in any library, including the British Library. This project covers about twelve years of this publication.

Proposals sound be submitted using the Proposal Template [71].  The proposals will then be made available in the globalCollections platform [72].

The SAMP Digitization Projects Guidelines [73] provide guidance about digital projects.

E-mail completed proposals to Judy Alspach [74].  If you have any questions about the form or about project proposal ideas, please contact Judy Alspach [74].