Cataloging and microfilming will take place in India under the supervision of staff hired for the program in conjunction with the collaborating institution. The paper collection will remain in India following completion of the consortium's program of preservation and access, along with a set of the microfilm produced. Ownership of the Hyderabad collection will be transferred from the consortium to the collaborating institution in India as microfilming is completed. The Collection Mr. Samad Khan's library is widely considered one of the world's finest for early Urdu periodicals and printed books. As a collector of great acumen, Mr. Samad Khan has built the library with care and erudition over most of his adult life.
Holdings are well rounded across all areas of Urdu publishing.
Most imprints date from the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries and are unavailable at any U.S. library. Physical condition of the collection is very good, especially considering the age of the publications. While comparisons of collections are often invidious, I am convinced that this is one of the best collections of Urdu in South Asia. Now in his early 60s, Mr. Samad Khan wants to sell the collection. Serials are one of the special strengths of the Urdu Research Centre collection.