India Papers – guide to catalogue searching

Details of all material in the India Papers collection can be found in our main catalogue. You can use the 'Browse by shelfmark' option on the main catalogue, with this guide to help you.

The India Papers shelfmarking system was devised so that there is the root 'IP' ('India Papers'), then a two-letter code representing either a publishing department or a type of publication. In addition to the root IP, there is the state number (where appropriate) and the classification code.

Indian states

Each state is identified by a number which appears in the pressmark immediately after the initial IP which marks all India Papers: so all papers of the Bengal Presidency have pressmarks beginning with IP/6/. A You will find a complete list of the states and their numerical codes is given in Appendix 2. Their classification codes are in Appendix 3.

You can also discover what material exists on a particular subject or locality using codes in the shelfmark. For example, for material on famines throughout India, check the classification code FB under each state.

Central Indian Government

In the central government papers every code apart from AA and XA represents a publishing department. You will find these codes in Appendix 1.

But as well as searching under likely departments you can use the old subject arrangement on which pressmarks are based.

The classification K, for example, represented industry and commerce, and all departments mainly concerned with these fields now have codes beginning with K, such as KC for the Department of Industries. We have listed the old subject classification in Appendix 4.

Appendix 1 — Central government classification

Appendix 2 — Numerical list of states

Appendix 3 — States classification

Appendix 4 - Original classification of central government papers