***Attending: See below.

Following introductions several announcements were made: a poetry reading at 5, a local exhibition of Pakistani textiles, and distribution by Ray Lum of microfilms produced by the New Delhi office [the list also is on the LC- New Delhi website---see below].

Jim Nye and David Magier talked about the ARL South Asia Project [The Digital South Asia Library: a Pilot Project] and demonstrated its website http://www.lib.uchicago.edu/LibInfo/Subjects/SouthAsia/dsal.html. They then left to demonstrate the website at the ARL meeting in Washington, DC.

Irene Joshi demonstrated the University of Washignton South Asian Newspaper Union List, which is part of the Digital South Asia Library. David Magier discussed SARAI and encouraged the submission of new resources for inclusion.

David noted that he has solicited, but not yet received, a copy of the licensing agreements for the two electronic journals Journal of South Asian Women's Studies and the International Journal of Tantric Studies.

James Gentner demonstrated LC's new web page from the New Delhi office http://lcweb.loc.gov/acq/ovop/delhi/ and noted that websites from the other overseas offices are under construction. James stated that serials (but not monographs) autority work in New Delhi is done on OCLC and that there are new OCLC identification codes for the LC overseas offices. He reported that LC's acqusitions staff acquired 1500 Mongolian items for participants. LC is trying to establish an exchange agreement with the Mongolian State Government.

James reported that the last of the Indian rupees were expended in September. He said that selection of many circularized titles by participants might lead to LC having to send supplementary bills. He noted that the New Delhi office cataloged 15,697 items and created 8,688 authority records.

In the matter of microfiched title, James noted that the New Delhi office makes master negatives, which it sends to Washington, so copies ordered from LC Photodup should be delivered sooner than in the past. A number of attendees expressed their doubts that such would happen.

Over the past year, James reported, over 197,000 pieces were distributed to program participants from the South Asia field offices, and five issues of the South Asian Bibliographer, formerly the LC Accessions List-South Asia, were produced. James was asked to provide program participants with information on the anticipated inflation rate as it affects participants' acquistion costs. There was some discussion of participant profiles and advanced mailing of the list of materials sent. A suggestion was made that the lists for both the New Delhi and Islamabad boxes be sent in advance and included as packing lists for each box.

The evening session, from 7-9, openend with a slide presentation by the Allchins that focused on The Ancient India & Iran Trust, an almagamation of several private British book collections on philology, art and architecture, and archaeology. The collection of the Trust is open to the public and is supplemented by lectures and a publications program. The Allchins detailed the need for additional funding and outlined steps being taken to expand and preserve the collection. More information is available at the Trusts webssite: http://members.aol.com/indiran.

During the CRL report, Marlys distributed a handout on cataloging statistics. She noted that CRL is receiving films from the MIPP undertaking. She said that the reel guide for the Punjabi Printed Books program is being loaded onto both RLIN and OCLC. Marlys reported that the serial Kaiser-i-Hindis being collected for filming, and that participant program pages are up on the CRL website. She stated that the Pakistan serials list is being reviewed to identify ceased titles and to determine the number of participants subscribing, with a view to cancelling CRL's subscription to some titles. The list of proposed cancellations will be circulated before any action is taken by CRL. She also reported that CRL's collection of foreign documents is being cataloged.

Jim Armstrong is still in Washington following the evacuation of U.S. government personnel from Pakistan. He reported that the Islamabad field office is providing wider geographic coverage than before, with more materials being acquired from Central Asia. Afghani acquisitions are up, particularly restrospective acquisitions; some 5000 older serials and 137 monographs have been acquired. Jim said that publishing in Pakistan is stable, with a slight increase in recent months. There has been no increase in censorship, probably because publishers are self-censoring. Office staff made seventeen acquisition trips. The Islamabad office's website is under construction and should be released soon. Jim informed participants that future circular letters will be sent by email.

Announcements: Ved Kayastha reported that Cornell's South Asia video collection is now available on interlibrary loan.

CONSALD acknowledges the many contributions made to South Asian studies, South Asian librarianship, and to CONSALD itself by our colleague Om Sharma, who passed away recently. Om retired as South Asia librarian at the University of Michigan. CONSALD offers condonlences to Om's family.

END

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***Attending: Suzanne McMahon, UCBerkeley (Chair); Raymond Lum, Harvard (minutes); David Magier, Columbia; Irene Joshi, UWashington; Merry Burlingham, Texas at Austin; Marlys Rudeen, CRL; Catherine Lee, UCLA; Monica Ghosh-Berenborg, Hawaii; Carol Mitchell, Wisconsin; Allen Thrasher, Library of Congess; Jim Armstrong, Library of Congress; James Gentner, Library of Congress; Susan Go, UMichigan; Panna Naik, UPenn; Philip McEldowney, UVirginia; Donald Johnson, UMinnesota; James Nye, UChicago; Avinash Mahreshwary, Duke; Ved Kayastha, Cornell; Narindar Aggarwal, UIlllinois; Mary Rader, Chicago Public; Krishnan Khera, UToronto; Bronwen Bledsoe, UChicago; Afeworki Paulos, UIowa; Susan Rabe, CRL. Guests: Dr. Raymond Allchin & Dr. Bridget Allchin.

[draft submitted by Suzanne McMahon, 08 March 1999]