Through the PL-480 program, funds from India's local currency were channeled into building extensive South Asian collections in U.S. libraries, particularly at the University of Chicago, resulting in cultural and academic exchanges that shaped scholarship on the region.
The Unexpected Legacy of India’s Food Aid: Enriching American Libraries
The Unexpected Legacy of India’s Food Aid: Enriching American Libraries
How India's grain purchases for food aid transformed the landscape of South Asian studies in the United States.
In 1996, Ananya Vajpeyi, a doctoral student in history, stumbled upon the remarkable South Asia collection at the University of Chicago's Regenstein Library, a treasure trove of over 800,000 volumes dedicated to the region. Vajpeyi, now a visiting professor at Ashoka University in India, remarked that few libraries matches the extensive resources found at this institution, raising the question of how such a collection came to be in the U.S.
The roots of this collection trace back to the PL-480 program, also known as Food for Peace, initiated by President Dwight D Eisenhower in 1954 during the Cold War. This initiative allowed countries like India to use their local currency to purchase U.S. grain, easing foreign exchange pressures and addressing American surpluses. During the 1950s and 1960s, India, significantly impacted by food shortages, became one of the program's largest beneficiaries.
Funds generated through this initiative were used to procure local books, periodicals, and media, leading to the rapid growth of South Asian studies collections across more than two dozen American universities. The University of Chicago's library became a central hub due to its participation in this scheme. "PL-480 has had amazing and unexpected consequences," said James Nye, director of the Digital South Asia library at University of Chicago, emphasizing the program's impact on the academic landscape.
Building the collection was a complex task that involved a dedicated team based in Delhi, which began operations in 1959. Initially focused on government publications, the program gradually expanded to include a broad range of books. By 1968, twenty U.S. universities received a diverse array of materials, indicating the program's successful adaptability to India's intricate literary sphere.
Pioneering bibliographer Maureen LP Patterson documented the program’s evolution and pointed to the challenges encountered in sourcing material from an expansive and linguistically rich country. The need for careful selection led to the collaboration of multiple dealers, each specializing in various languages. Over time, the program began to focus on "research level material," significantly reducing the intake of less valuable fiction.
By 1966, over 750,000 items were shipped to U.S. libraries from India, Nepal, and Pakistan. Interestingly, the existence of vast South Asian collections raised concerns about the potential depletion of literary resources within the subcontinent. Todd Michelson-Ambelang, a librarian from Wisconsin-Madison, warned about the impact such programs can have on knowledge accessibility, suggesting that these dynamics often necessitate researchers from South Asia to travel abroad to retrieve materials.
Maya Dodd from FLAME University highlighted another aspect of the program. While many works have since become scarce in India, they remain preserved in U.S. institutions, a situation underscored by Michelson-Ambelang's observations on preservation challenges faced by libraries in India.
The end of the PL-480 program in the 1980s shifted the financial burden to U.S. libraries, which now need to fund ongoing acquisitions independently. Today, the University of Chicago spends over $100,000 annually sourcing new materials for its collection, a testament to the long-lasting influence of the original grain-for-books initiative.
Reflecting on her enriching experience, Vajpeyi noted that the availability and preservation of books at the Regenstein Library starkly contrasted with what she encountered within India, where materials often suffer from neglect or destruction. The legacy of PL-480 has proved both significant and multifaceted, forging pathways for academic research while simultaneously raising questions about resource distribution and accessibility.
The roots of this collection trace back to the PL-480 program, also known as Food for Peace, initiated by President Dwight D Eisenhower in 1954 during the Cold War. This initiative allowed countries like India to use their local currency to purchase U.S. grain, easing foreign exchange pressures and addressing American surpluses. During the 1950s and 1960s, India, significantly impacted by food shortages, became one of the program's largest beneficiaries.
Funds generated through this initiative were used to procure local books, periodicals, and media, leading to the rapid growth of South Asian studies collections across more than two dozen American universities. The University of Chicago's library became a central hub due to its participation in this scheme. "PL-480 has had amazing and unexpected consequences," said James Nye, director of the Digital South Asia library at University of Chicago, emphasizing the program's impact on the academic landscape.
Building the collection was a complex task that involved a dedicated team based in Delhi, which began operations in 1959. Initially focused on government publications, the program gradually expanded to include a broad range of books. By 1968, twenty U.S. universities received a diverse array of materials, indicating the program's successful adaptability to India's intricate literary sphere.
Pioneering bibliographer Maureen LP Patterson documented the program’s evolution and pointed to the challenges encountered in sourcing material from an expansive and linguistically rich country. The need for careful selection led to the collaboration of multiple dealers, each specializing in various languages. Over time, the program began to focus on "research level material," significantly reducing the intake of less valuable fiction.
By 1966, over 750,000 items were shipped to U.S. libraries from India, Nepal, and Pakistan. Interestingly, the existence of vast South Asian collections raised concerns about the potential depletion of literary resources within the subcontinent. Todd Michelson-Ambelang, a librarian from Wisconsin-Madison, warned about the impact such programs can have on knowledge accessibility, suggesting that these dynamics often necessitate researchers from South Asia to travel abroad to retrieve materials.
Maya Dodd from FLAME University highlighted another aspect of the program. While many works have since become scarce in India, they remain preserved in U.S. institutions, a situation underscored by Michelson-Ambelang's observations on preservation challenges faced by libraries in India.
The end of the PL-480 program in the 1980s shifted the financial burden to U.S. libraries, which now need to fund ongoing acquisitions independently. Today, the University of Chicago spends over $100,000 annually sourcing new materials for its collection, a testament to the long-lasting influence of the original grain-for-books initiative.
Reflecting on her enriching experience, Vajpeyi noted that the availability and preservation of books at the Regenstein Library starkly contrasted with what she encountered within India, where materials often suffer from neglect or destruction. The legacy of PL-480 has proved both significant and multifaceted, forging pathways for academic research while simultaneously raising questions about resource distribution and accessibility.
