Facilities and Services
Library :
The Library at the CSSSC has a rich collection of about 35,000 titles on all subjects of social sciences. The collection comprises the Centre’s own collection as well as that of the Eastern Regional Centre of ICSSR. There is also a huge collection of international and domestic journals and periodicals, mostly dating from the inception of the Centre. The users may also make avail of the EconLit CD–ROM from the library by prior consultation with the library officials regarding availability of terminals in the library. Other resources in the nature of World Bank or UN databases are also available in CD–ROMs in the library. The resource is aimed at providing the users the updated information and knowledge on the subjects. It is regularly accessed by researchers/academics in the social sciences including postgraduate students. The library facility serves a large number of users from all over the eastern region as well as from other parts of the country and abroad. In–house members enjoy book–borrowing facilities whereas members from other institutions may use the reading facility only. However, external users may make a limited number of photocopies upon payment of Re.1/– per A–4 page of text material (chapters of books, articles in journals). Government reports cannot be photocopied, but printouts of reports available in the Library on CD–ROM are delivered upon payment. No membership fees are charged to any member. The Library is open for users from 1030 to 1730 on all working days. The Library also has interlibrary lending facilities between bona fide academic libraries in the city, and is a member of CALIBNET (Calcutta Library Network). The Library will shortly be able to provide bibliographic database searches upon payment. An application form to obtain membership in the library is available in the Library and FAQ pages of this website.
Online Access to International Journal Database :
The Centre subscribes to the online database of JSTOR and Project Muse. JSTOR is a huge collection of well–known journals in all areas of social sciences and most entries date four to five years prior to the current issue. Project Muse is a complementary database to JSTOR and covers this gap. Users may contact the librarian for getting permission to use these databases. Students who are enrolled with the Centre either in the RTP or the PhD programme are fully eligible to use any or all of these facilities from the library.
Centre’s Urban History Documentation Archive —
Hitesranjan Sanyal Memorial Collection :
The archive has become the focus of many major academic activities for the faculty and students at the Centre, as well as users from India and abroad, and has strongly facilitated relevant research, publications and exhibitions.
Access to the archive is usually open to all scholars affiliated to any academic institution and working in any relevant field. All scholars intending to use the archive should apply for a limited period membership on the prescribed format available at the archive with proof of their institutional attachment, e.g. for doctoral students a letter from their supervisor or from the head of the department, for faculty members a letter of recommendation from the head of their respective institutions etc. Membership of the archive carries no fee. Also scholars need to make an appointment to use the limited numbers of reading and viewing machines in the archive reading room.
Prints from microfilms, if required, are usually supplied to the scholars against fees according to the rules of the library and archive. Scholars working with visual materials may also request reproduction for research only, but there are certain restrictions on such reproduction and scholars should abide by copyright laws.
Jadunath Sarkar Resource Centre for Historical Research :
The resource centre for historical research is located at 10 Lake Terrace, Calcutta 700 029. The idea behind the Resource Centre is to make available to scholars materials written in vernacular languages for the social and cultural history of Eastern India. The Centre has already started acquiring the printed non–fiction books and monographs in Bangla that are available in the market or in private collections, for a viable research library. Some old journals like Sanibarer Chithi and reports and books relating to Calcutta have been procured. The Resource Centre is also proud of possessing a few private collections. A portion of Edward Dimock’s collection, relating to the cultural history of Bengal was gifted to the Centre by Loraine Dimock through the University of Chicago in 2002. The ‘collection’ has a valuable set of monographs and journals.
Users interested in accessing these materials may please contact the librarian or visit this premise during regular office hours. Further details on the historical research center are available in the resources page.
Research Facilities :
CSSSC provides excellent facilities for research, especially the library of social sciences books and journals and the large and varied archive of primary materials. Scholars from other institutions who wish to use our resources may apply to do so to the librarian. Doctoral students can also apply to use our resources. While we do our best to extend help to every scholar, permission to use the library is of course at the Centre’s discretion. Please bring with you a valid ID when coming to use the library and archive.
A great strength of the Centre is the fluidity of disciplinary boundaries among its academic community, allowing interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary work to be fruitfully carried out. Traditional academia tends to segregate disciplines into departments, which can make it difficult for important research which falls between two fields to find a suitable home. CSSSC especially encourages innovative and illuminating trans–disciplinary work.
Graduate Students from other universities may also choose to undertake summer projects at the Centre with prior and timely consultation with the faculty members. The facilities for students intending to undertake summer projects are restricted to access to the library and occasional help with computation only. Dedicated computers are not available for summer projects.
Short Collaborative Projects :
Research scholars from India and abroad may seek affiliation with the Centre for pursuing short collaborative projects and field surveys. The modalities of the affiliation and appropriate application requirements may be obtained from the Registrar.
Auditorium/ Seminar Rooms :
The Centre’s premise at 10 Lake Terrace offers an elegant auditorium for organizing seminars and conferences. This auditorium is also available to outside users for academic purposes only. The Administrative Officer may be contacted for detailed information on the availability and charges applicable.
Canteen :
The Patuli campus of the Centre hosts a lunch / snacks and tea / coffee facility and is usually open throughout the working hours.