Membership at the IPS Library comes with several benefits. Corporate members and members of networked libraries are allowed to borrow books and other materials (not under the restricted circulation category) by making a request through their institutions library.

Members have comprehensive access to a large range of online electronic databases and resources. In addition use of the internet at the Library premises for research purposes is free for all membership holders as well.

Members have the access to the professional services of library staff and can request a Literature Survey on a research topic and the results will be emailed to them in due course.

Corporate Members and IPS researchers also have access to the Documentation Delivery Service (DDS) where publications can be obtained from affiliated libraries directly to their inbox, or collected by visiting the library.

A full range of library facilities are available to members at the Library premises, such as photocopying and printing.

The following categories of users are eligible for external membership at the IPS Library

Individual users: persons engaged in scholarly research and students affiliated to both national and international universities. Individual users will be charged a fee of Rs. 300 per visit.

Corporate users: All organizations engaged in scholarly research are eligible for Corporate Membership and will be charged a flat rate of Rs. 3000 per annum.

Networked Libraries: Members of libraries that have an agreement with the IPS library to share resources are eligible for membership in this category. For members of networked libraries membership is free, based on a letter of permission issued by their institute’s librarian. To see if your library is networked with us, please contact us via email (library@ips.lk) or phone (+94 11 2 143 104/105)

All external users are requested to get in touch with the library before each visit.

You can become an external member of the Library by completing the membership form and emailing it to us at library@ips.lk . Applicants will be informed as soon as membership is approved by the Librarian

You can get in touch with us via email (library@ips.lk), fax (+94 112 665 065), or phone (+94 112 143 104/105)

All materials apart from Journals and bound journal volumes, materials listed in a special category and marked ‘Limited or Restricted Circulation,’ are available to Corporate Members and Members of Networked Libraries to borrow under the Inter-Library Loan (ILL) scheme. You can submit an official requisition through your Institute’s librarian. If your organization does not have a library you will not be permitted to borrow materials.

Individual Users are welcome to browse materials and refer to them within the Library premises; however the borrowing facility is not open to them.

The IPS librarian may decide the loan period depending on the type of publication and its demand. Typically library materials are loaned for periods between 3 and 7 days. If the borrowed material is needed urgently, the librarian will recall the book before the loan period.

Failure to return material on or before its due date will result in a fine of Rs. 25 per day. In addition any loss or damage to loaned material will result in the user being charged the cost of repair or replacement plus a fine of Rs. 300

Various sources of electronic resources are available to members via the internet or through CD-ROM. Available resources include statistical databases, bibliographic databases, full text sources, directories, e-journals, and Sri Lankan news clippings.

The IPS library has sourced its materials from a variety of locations and institutions and the collection includes:

Material pertaining to local, national, and regional governments – a particularly rich source of statistical information

Material from donor countries and international organizations such as the World Bank, the UN, ADB, IMF and ILO; regional organizations such as SAARC; as well as materials from Development NGOs – containing a wealth of information on aid and aid policies.

Materials from research institutions and commercial publishers from across the globe, on a wide range of subjects including, economics, environment, gender, health, politics, rural development, trade, civil society, globalization, governance, and poverty.

Yes, you can search our main collection online through the search box on the IPS Library page on the IPS website.