Dr B.R. Ambedkar Central Library, JNU, a 9-Story Building with appr 600k Collections of Books

Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, has a well known central library recently renamed after Dr B.R. Ambedkar, Dr B. R. Ambedkar Central Library. It is a 9-Story Building with approximately 6 lakh (600,000) collections of books. The Central Library is one of the most modern and well equipped university libraries in the country committed to meet the information needs of the students, researchers and faculty members.

Collections

The Library has a total collection of 6 lakhs, which includes books, serials, non-book materials etc. The collection is housed subject-wise on different floors under three major streams i.e. Social Sciences, Humanities and Sciences. It also subscribes to 900 +journal titles.

Cyber Library
Helen Keller
Unit Electronic Theses and Dissertations (ETD)
Press-ClippingsPress-Clippings
EXIM Bank
Other Branch Libraries:
     Archives on Contemporary History of India
     Centre for Historical Studies Library
     Centre for Political Studies Library
     Centre for Law and Governance Library
     School of Computer and System Sciences Library
     Academic Staff College Library
     SIS Reading Hall
     Besides, many Centres/Schools have their own libraries under the DSA Programme.

Subscriptions

The Library is a repository of the world history. Some books are up to 100 years old. Its e-resources or online library has a huge subscription to international journals, newspapers and archives. Some important subscriptions, not to mention E-Journals and E-books subscriptions, by JNU and UGC are as follows:

DATABASES Subscribed by JNU

ACM Portal
American Society for Microbiology
ARTstor Digital Library
BBC Monitoring Library
CEIC Macroeconomic Database (Global and Russian Premium Database)
CNKI Databases (English)
CNKI Databases (Simplified Chinese)
Emerald Insight (List of Subscribed Titles)
EBSCO Research Database
HeinOnline
World bank e-library
HENRY-STEWART Talk Collection ( List of Talks )
IEEE xplore
Inder science Online Journals
INDLAW
Journal Citation Report
Lecture Notes in Computer Science LNCS with back files of year 2005,06 & 07
Lexis Nexis
Literature Online with MLA (FT)
Manupatra
MLA
Nature Research Journals all parts with archives
Current Protocols in Stem Cell Biology
ProQuest Academic Research Library
ProQuest Dissertation and Theses
SAGE HSS Package ( HSS Title List )
SCC Online (Help )
Science Direct
Earth and Planetary Science Environment Science Health Sciences, Nursing & Health Professions, Pharamacology
Neuroscience
Genetics in Medicine
WILEY Inter-science
WILEY Protocols
Current Protocols in Cytometry
Current Protocols in Immunology
Current Protocols in Molecular
Biology Current Protocols in Protein Science
Yearbook of International Organizations
India Stat
ProQuest Historical Newspapers: The Guardian (1821-2003) and The Observer (1791-2003)
ProQuest Research Library
ProQuest Historical Newspapers: The Wall Street Journal (1889-1995)
Foreign Broadcast Information Service (FBIS) Daily Reports 1941 � 1996 ProQuest Research Library ProQuest Historical Newspapers: The Wall Street Journal (1889-1995) Foreign Broadcast Information Service (FBIS) Daily Reports 1941 � 1996
Applied Science & Technology Source
Humanities Source
Scopus
Westlaw Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU)-Country Reports
DeGruyter List of Journals
Intellect Journals List of Journals
South Asia Archive (Perpectual Access)
Prowess User guide to access Prowess Database
EPWRF India Time Series

DATABASES Subscribed through UGC Infonet

ISID
MathSciNet
J-Gate@ess
American Chemical Society
American Institute of Physics
American Physical Society
Annual Reviews
Cambridge University Press
Economic & Political Weekly (EPW)
Elsevier Institute of Physics
JSTOR
Oxford University Press
Portland Press
Project Euclid
Project Muse
Royal Society of Chemistry
SciFinder
SIAM
SPRINGER
Taylor and Francis
Web of Science (Through N-LIST Programme)
Wiley Journals

Facilities

Entire library is connected through LAN & WI-FI. All the Schools, Centres and administrative offices of the University are connected to Library Data Server.

There are several reading rooms and some of them open 24/7 installed with ACs and air coolers which attract maximum number of students during summer. Students often sit there day and night. Students also demand for more rooms to remain open 24/7.

There is a specific room designed for students with physical disabilities. There are rooms where computers with internet connection are installed in separate cabins and where students can bring in their personal computers.

Most students and research scholars do their school works in the library mainly due to the fact that in hostel room they have a roommate where reading or studying is not so productive. Hence, library is alway crowed and seats are always occupied around the clock. It is on come-first-serve basis. Those students who are preparing for their toughest Civil Servant Examinations known s UPSC sit in the library 24 hour. They exit only for during meals and sleeping time.

Timings

The Library remains open from 9.00 a.m. to 8.00 p.m. throughout the year and during the examination days, the working hours are extended up to 12 midnight for 45 days in each semester.

However, the Reading Room and Textbook Section remain open up to 12 midnight throughout the year except on Sundays.

The General Reading Hall is being kept open round the clock throughout the year. It is closed on three National Holidays and Holi festival.

Google reviews

"People usually spend their whole day due to this environment inside"
 "Has great variety of books and online access to a plethora of databases ."
 "This is one of the most organised, well set out Libraries I’ve been to......."

The vision and mission

of Jawaharlal Nehru University as stated in its Act, 1966 (53 of 1966) is reproduced here under:

The University shall endeavour to promote the study of the principles for which Jawaharlal Nehru worked during his life-time, National integration, social justice, secularism, democratic way of life, International understanding and scientific approach to the problems of society.

Watch the video for inside and outside view of the Library.