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Sample correspondence from 1981-1990:

• Correspondence regarding exchange with the journal Studia Islamica. Typed, 2 pieces, dated 4 May - 14 December 1981.
• Letter from Frantisek Polkorab, Chief of the Acquisition Department of the Central Library of the Slovak Academy of Sciences, Bratislava, concerning the postal arrangements for exchange of publications. Typed, 1 piece, dated 1 June 1983.
• Letter from the Librarian. Archaeological Department Colombo (Sri Lanka) concerning the exchange of their publication, Ancient Ceylon. Typed, 1 piece, dated 11 October 1983.
• Correspondence with Akademie der Wissenschaften der DDR concerning exchange of journals. Typed, 4 pieces, dated 29 February - 26 September 1984.
• Correspondence with the Institut for Geschichte der Arabisch-Islamischen Wissenschaften concerning a new publication for possible exchange. Typed, 2 pieces, dated 13 March - 18 June 1985.
• Correspondence with the British School of Archaeology in Jerusalem concerning the exchange of their journal, Levant. Typed, 2 pieces, dated 1 May -20 May 1985.
• Letter from C. Raceau, Conservator, Ecole Francaise d'Extreme-Orient to request an update of the exchange agreement. Typed, 1 piece, dated 12 October 1988.
• Letter to the Royal Asiatic Society of Sri Lanka to request missing volumes of their journal. Typed, 1 piece, dated 17 November 1988.

Sample correspondence from 2001. Much of this correspondence is still within current records:

• Letter from the Museum für Völkerkunde, Vienna concerning payment for their journal. Typed, 1 piece, dated 10 May 2001.
• Letter to the Editor, Quarterly review of Historical Studies, to update the exchange agreement. Typed, 1 piece, dated 20 November 2001.
• Correspondence with the Bibliothèque de l'Institut d'études iraniennes, Paris, concerning exchange agreements. Typed, 2 pieces, dated 11 December 2001 - undated.
• Correspondence with Gordon Johnson, Wolfson College, about missing volumes of Modern Asian Studies. Typed, 3 pieces, dated 29 April - 11 July 2002.

Reports, strategy and information documents concerning the collections and the administration of the Library. Many such documents are only retained for the lifetime but some have been kept as deemed of archival value either as representative of the type or of strategic importance. These are:

• 'Council Regulations: Library Staff' - short documents detailing the Library staff and duties involved. Signed by Basil W. Robinson, President, and Simon Digby, Honorary Librarian. Typed, 1 piece, dated June 1970.
• 'Royal Asiatic Society - Memorandum from the Honorary Librarian to Users of MSS of the Society' - concerning handling of the manuscripts. Written by Simon Digby, Honorary Librarian, 1 piece, dated May 1972.
• 'Humidity - June 1978 - Sequel to notes of December 1977' - recommendations for care of the collections following a visit from Fred Marsh, India Office Conservation. Typed, 2 pieces.
• 'Notes on Microfilming of Manuscripts' - document prepared by the Librarian for submission to the Publications Committee, 8 February 1979. Typed, 1 piece.
• 'Some Thoughts on the Library of the Royal Asiatic Society by Mr. B.C. Bloomfield' - report outlining the current condition of the Collections and outlining accommodation and care needs for the collections. Typed, 1 piece, dated 6 October 1980.
• 'Royal Asiatic Society Library: Paper by the Library Policy Committee' - paper for the Council's endorsement concerning a programme of disposal and repair of the Collections to preserve a living library. Typed, 2 pieces, undated [1980s].
• 'Proposals for the Library of the Royal Asiatic Society' outlining the need for, and cost of, preparing a guide-book to the collections'. Copy of typed document, 2 pieces, undated.
• 'To the Treasurer: Library Budget 1987-1988' - outlining the costs for the Library for the year. Typed, 1 piece.
• Librarian compliment slips for Queen Anne Street and Queen's Gardens. Printed, 2 pieces.
• A note from Godfrey Goodwin, Librarian, about a change in the opening hours of the Library and an appeal for help with a stock-take of the books after the Society's move to 60 Queen's Gardens. Typed, 1 piece, dated [September] 1988.
• 'The Library' - regulations for use of the Library and opening hours. Typed, 1 piece, undated [1988].
• 'Budget 1994' - outline of the budget accepted by the Council for Library expenditure. Typed, 1 piece, dated 23 February 1994.
• 'Inventory of the Society's Manuscripts' - discussing the state of the Society's manuscripts and their cataloguing. Typed, 1 piece, undated [1994].
• 'Royal Asiatic Society Library' - paper to consider the storage of the Collections at Queen's Gardens. Typed, 2 pieces, dated 1995.
• 'Use of the RAS Library' - outlining library use by researchers written by Julian Reade, Honorary Librarian. Typed, 2 pieces, dated 28 November 1995.
• 'Time-Table for Necessary Work at 60 Queen's Gardens' - outlining the need to remove collections for work to be done on the building. Typed, 1 piece, dated 8 February 1996.
• 'The Structure of 60 Queen's Gardens' - assessing the book-shelf capacity and suggesting strategies to care for the collections. Typed, 3 pieces, dated 1996.
• 'Library Book Shelving and Strong Room Protection' - giving details of tenders for shelving and the provision of a strong room. Written by D.W. MacDowell, President, typed, 2 pieces, dated 14 March 1996.
• 'Royal Asiatic Society' - document listing library policy and considerations for the collections to be submitted to the Council. Written by Julian Reade, Honorary Librarian, typed, 3 pieces, dated 8 May 1996.
• 'The Royal Asiatic Society: The Library' - general statement about the Library and the Collections. Approved by the Library Committee, 18 September 1997. Typed, 2 pieces.
• 'Stockcheck of the Library' - outlining the undertaking of a stock check. Written by Michael Pollock, Royal Asiatic Society Librarian, typed, 2 pieces, dated 28 May 1998.
• 'Summary list of RAS papers which need to be listed' - a list of the known archives needing to be sorted. Written by Helen Cordell, Honorary Librarian, typed, 2 pieces, dated October 1998.
• 'Library' - document introducing the collections, their catalogues, opening times, reprographics etc. Typed, 7 pieces, undated [1998].
• '4th Floor security stamping books: Summary' - report on an audit carried out about the possibility of stamping books. Written by D. Shah, Library Assistant, Royal Asiatic Society, typed, 2 pieces, dated 29 January 1999.
• 'Stock Check - March 1999' - report on a stock check undertaken. Written by Michael Pollock, Royal Asiatic Society Librarian, typed, 6 pieces, dated 11 March 1999.
• 'Estimation of time taken to stamp 80000 books held in the Royal Asiatic Society Library - April 1999' - an analysis of the time required. Written by D. Shah, Library Assistant and Michael Pollock, Librarian, typed, 2 pieces.
• 'Royal Asiatic Society Visiting Research Fellow' - describing the Council decision to create a bursary for a research fellow to undertake research on the collections. Written by Giles Tillotson, Acting Director, Royal Asiatic Society, typed, 1 piece, undated [2000].
• 'Library Access for Non-Fellows: improved security checks and charging for services' - series of documents concerning increasing security for the collections. Typed, 4 pieces, dated 2003-2004.
• 'Cataloguing of RAS Printed Material Collection' - report concerning the need for an automated catalogue. Typed, 5 pieces, undated [2000s].
• 'The RAS Tod Collection' - proposal for working on identifying the James Tod material. Written by Rima Hooja, typed, 3 pieces, dated 2008.
• 'Projects in terms of priorities to be completed over the next five years 2010 -2015' - listing collections priorities and an estimate of the costs. Typed, 4 pieces, undated [2009].

Some collections have at times gone missing. The administrative documents concerning this are found in this series.

• Letter from Simon Digby, Honorary Librarian, concerning a missing Mughal painting. Typed, 1 piece, dated 12 July 1973.
• Correspondence, reports and photographs concerning the theft of three 18th or early 19th century Burmese Buddhist statues. Handwritten, typed, and 2 colour photographs, 13 pieces, dated 21 September 1977 - 25 April 1989.
• Correspondence concerning missing books belonging to John Hansman. Typed, 5 pieces, dated 6 December - 31 December 1979.
• Correspondence, reports and lists concerning stolen books discovered in 1997. Four archival folders, dated 1997-2009.
• Report by Kathy Lazenbatt, Royal Asiatic Society Librarian, delivered to the Historic Libraries Forum, concerning theft. Typed, 4 pieces, dated 17 November 2009.

Documents detailing the history and contents of the Library. These are:

• 'The Library of the Royal Asiatic Society, 1823-1990' - document outlining the history concerning the acquisition and disposal of collections and discussing future possibilities. Typed, 19 pieces.
• 'The Library of the Royal Asiatic Society 1923-1990 by Mike Pollock' - an article outlining the history of the Library and its then current layout and operations. Typed, 1 piece.
• 'The Library of the Royal Asiatic Society and its Collections relating to South-east Asia' - a document giving an account of the Library and its South-east Asian collections in particular. The author and date of writing is unknown but it appears from the document that it was written by a previous Librarian. Typed, 11 pieces.
• 'The Library of the Royal Asiatic Society' - documents give details of the contents of the Collections and their access. Typed, 2 pieces, unknown date.
• 'The Library of the Royal Asiatic Society 1823-1997' - an article about the Library and the Collections created by T.V. Finery as part of their Library and Information Studies course, University College, London. Typed, 12 pieces, dated 22 April 1998.
• 'Royal Asiatic Society 1823-1998' - list of the Librarians and Honorary Librarians who served within this time period. Typed, 2 pieces.

This catalogue contains documents created in the administration of the Collections of the Society which have not been covered by the other Collections catalogues, including articles written about the history of the Library and its collections, reports and strategy documents, administrative correspondence, journal and periodical exchanges and job descriptions.

Correspondence concerned with Journal Exchanges. The subseries has been divided into chronological files.

Samples of correspondence concerning journal exchange for the period 1920-1970:

• Letter from Harold Alfred MacMichael, colonial administrator, to Mrs Fraser, Royal Asiatic Society Secretary, concerning the journal Sudan Notes and Records. Handwritten, 1 piece, dated 6 November [1927].
• Letter from Charles Otto Blagden, School of Oriental Studies, to Colonel Hoysted, Royal Asiatic Society Secretary, concerning a journal about Burma (Myanmar). handwritten, 1 piece, dated 26 June 1932.
• Letter from Mahmahopadhaya, Chief-Editor and Secretary, Ganganatha Jha Research Institute, concerning the possible exchange of their Journal, the Banganatha Jha Research Journal. Typed, 1 piece, dated 26 November 1943.
• Letter from the British Council concerning a possible exchange with the Finno-Ugrian Society for their publication, Julkaisut. Typed, 1 piece, dated 29 July 1948.
• Letter from O.A. Nanajana Arami, Honorary Secretary, Tanjore Maharaja Serfoji's Saraswathi Mahal Library, Thanjavur concerning the possible exchange with one of their publications. Typed, dated 5 February 1965.
• Letter from the Editor, Research Publications, Sanskrit College, Calcutta (Kolkata), to ask for missing copies of the Society's Journals. Typed, 1 piece, dated 25 August 1965.
• Correspondence with Deutsche Staatsbibliothek concerning possible exchange of journals. Typed, 10 pieces, dated 30 September 1966 - 15 May 1968.
• Letter from the Dacca University Library, East Pakistan (Dhaka, Bangladesh), to send a complimentary copy of their catalogue of Persian, Urdu and Arabic manuscripts and ask for an exchange publication in return. Typed, 1 piece, dated 23 February 1967.
• Correspondence with the Sudasien-Institut, University of Heidelberg, Germany, concerning exchange of journals between the institutions. Typed, 3 pieces, dated 2 August - 15 January 1968.
• Letter from the Numismatic Society of India to acknowledge receipt of the Royal Asiatic Society's journals. Typed, 1 piece, dated 13 December 1967.
• Correspondence with the Journal of Tamil Studies, Madras (Chennai)concerning possible exchange of journals. Typed, 2 pieces, dated 4 May - 3 August 1970.

Sample correspondence from 1971-1980:

• Correspondence with the South Asian Studies Association concerning exchange of their journal, South Asia. Typed, 2 pieces, dated 18 August -7 December 1971.
• Letter from the Archaeological Survey of India to inform the Society will continue to receive Epigraphia Indica and the Annual Report on Indian Epigraphy. Typed, 1 piece, dated 18 July 1972.
• Correspondence from A.D.H. Bivar concerning the National Central Library becoming a subscribing library. Typed, 2 pieces, dated 7 October 1972.
• Correspondence with Deutsche Staatbibliothek concerning exchange of publications. Typed, 2 pieces, dated 2 November - 4 December 1973.
• Letter to the Association pour l'avancement des Etudes iranniennes concerning an exchange for their journal, Studia Iranica. Typed, 1 piece, dated 19 July 1974.
• Correspondence with the Centre de Documentation et de Recherches sur l'Asie du Sud-Est et le Monde Insulindien, Paris, concerning exchange for their journal. Typed, 2 pieces, dated 17 June - 10 September 1974.
• Correspondence with the Library of the Academy of Sciences of the GSSR concerning exchange of publications. Typed and printed, 2 pieces, dated 4 July - 11 September 1974.
• Letter from the Library of Tibetan Works and Archives, Himachal Pradesh, India, thanking the Society for their donation of publications and sending their own The Tibet Journal. Typed, 1 piece, dated 22 October 1975.
• Correspondence with the Sultanate of Oman concerning exchange with their publication the Journal of Omani Studies. Typed, 8 pieces, dated 15 January 1976 - 12 July 1978.
• Correspondence concerning the exchange of Studia Iranica. Typed, 5 pieces, dated 3 January - 29 April 1977.
• Letter from the Intercultural Research Institute, Kansai University, Osaka, Japan, concerning the exchange of their journal the Journal of Intercultural Studies. Typed, 1 piece, date 21 January 1977.
• Letter from the National Library of Peking (Beijing), China, concerning an exchange with the Royal Asiatic Society. With the letter are lists of possible publications for exchange. Typed and printed, 7 pieces, dated 10 February 1977.
• Letter from the Institute of Ethnology, Taiwan, concerning exchange of their journal the Bulletin of the Institute of Ethnology. Typed, 1 piece, dated 24 February 1977.
• Letter from the University of Buenos Aires concerning possible exchange of journals. Typed in Spanish with handwritten English translation, dated 11 March 1977.
• Correspondence with the Bihar Research Society concerning missing volumes in the exchange. Typed, 2 pieces, dated 2 February - 12 July 1978.
• Correspondence with the American Historical Association concerning an exchange with the American Historical Review. Typed, 3 pieces, dated 6 March - 15 June 1978.
• Correspondence with the Archaeological Survey of India concerning missing volumes in the exchange process. Typed, 2 pieces, dated 13 April -17 July 1978.
• Letter from the American Schools of Oriental Research concerning a breakdown in receipt of Journals. Typed, 1 piece, dated 8 August 1979.
• Correspondence concerning an exchange with institutions in Leningrad. Typed and handwritten, 2 pieces, dated October 1980 - 15 June 1981.

Correspondence covering the period 1823-1969:

• Correspondence between the India Office and the Royal Asiatic Society; the first letter from the India Office sends a copy of the correspondence concerning a manuscript belonging to the late Lieutenant Fryer which was sent to the Society in 1856. The India Office asks for the manuscript to be sent to them so it may be returned to the Madras Presidency. With this letter is a printed copy of the evidence about the manuscript, 2 pieces, dated April 1860. Further correspondence to accompany the returned manuscript and acknowledge its receipt. Handwritten letters, 3 pieces, dated 23 February - 4 March 1861.
• Letter from the Office of Special Inquiries & Reports, Board Of Education, London, to the Royal Asiatic Society to return a book to the Society which had mistakenly been returned to the Board's Library. Typed, 1 piece, dated 5 January 1928.
• Correspondence concerning the discovery of a Muslim tunic by Her Highness the Dayang Muda of Sarawak and efforts to understand its calligraphy. Typed and handwritten, 20 pieces, dated 31 January - 29 April 1931.
• Correspondence concerning the compilation of the 1940 Decade Index for the Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society carried out by Collections staff. Typed and handwritten, 5 pieces, dated 5 - 27 August 1940.
• Correspondence with Sir Richard Winstedt, Royal Asiatic Society President, concerning the identification of Buddhist and Hindu bronzes, and Malay manuscripts. Typed and handwritten, 10 pieces, dated 26 March 1946 - 29 March 1951.
• Correspondence between the Pilgrim Trust and Richard Winstedt, Royal Asiatic Society President, concerning the possibility of a grant to maintain the Society's activities. Typed, 4 pieces, dated 3 July - 30 July 1958.