The Asian Library, with the contributions from the Shastri Library Program has one of the best holdings of South Asian Studies materials in Canada, with approximately more than 120,000 volumes in Hindi, Punjabi, Sanskrit, Urdu, Gujarati, Bengali, Marathi, and Tamil. The Library possesses a vast collection of Punjabi and Hindi DVDs, as well as a unique collection of microfilms in Sanskrit and Prakrit.
Books in Hindi, Punjabi, Urdu, Tibetan, Nepali and Sanskrit are housed at the Asian Library, while materials in Bengali, Gujarati, Tamil, Telugu, and Marathi are available at the Automatic Storage and Retrieval System at the Irving K. Barber Learning Centre. The majority of English-language materials, books and journals on South Asia are available in the Koerner Library. The collection mostly includes materials in the humanities and social sciences.
Researchers interested in South Asian studies will find impressive materials on India’s cultural, religious and domestic history and politics. The collection includes works on the 1947 India Pakistan partition, as well as the cultural diversity of different Indian states.
The Asian Library obtains A/V materials for the library in Hindi and Punjabi, and currently has a variety of DVDs in both languages including Munde UK De, Mini Punjab, Sat Sri Akal, Sardaar Saab, Phillauri, Fanaa, Bunty Aur Bubli, Dhamaal, Rangoon, The Gazi Attack, Padmaavat, and many more.
In addition to this, the library also collected historical documentary DVDs such as the City of Amritsar, Yatra Sri Hemkunt Sahib, and Guru Granth Sahib. The Library also has complete sets of Ramayana by Ramanand Sagar and Mahabharata directed by B.R. Chopra.