Since its inception in 1994, RMRL has acquired a comprehensive collection of literature and other material that are of great significance to scholars of South Indian studies, particularly Tamil studies.
These collections attract hundreds of scholars from around the world. Keeping the Roja Muthiah’s original treasure as the nucleus, RMRL has added several donors collections to its stacks. Donors consider that their collection would be safely preserved by RMRL and be put to good use by scholars.
Some of its significant collections are:
- Mu. Arunachalam's collection - rare books related to Tamil literature and grammar
- A. K. Ramanujan's collection - books related to ancient and modern Tamil literature
- T. P. Meenakshisundaram's collection - books related to Tamil language and literature.
- Sa. Kandasamy's collection - books related to Tamil literature, little magazines and periodicals
- Sivasankari's collection - Modern literature, audio tapes and photographs
- S. Muthiah's collection - Books related to the history of Madras
Formats
- Paper material such as books, periodicals, newspapers, official publications in Tamil and English
- Palm leaf manuscripts
- Gramophone records, spool tapes, audio cassettes, CDs, DVDs
- Ephemeral items like postcards, invitations, pamphlets, press clippings, drama notices, calendars
- Other visual materials such as photographs, slides, negatives, glass negatives
- Cinema posters, prints of oleo lithographs from Ravi Varma’s workshop
- 2500 Microfilm reels and 2 million page digital images.
Subjects
- Classical Tamil literature, medieval and modern Tamil literature, literary criticism
- Folklore - folk dramas and stories, Gujili songs, Sindhu literature
- Indigenous medicine - All publications on Siddha, Ayurveda and veterinary science
- Popular culture - Theatre related material, early cinema periodicals, research books, cinema song books, cinema posters
- Political & social movements - Books and periodicals related to early Tamil Nadu politics, particularly the Self-Respect Movement, the Dravidian movement, the Communist movement, the movement against imposition of Hindi
- Gender studies
- Religion and Philosophy, Dalit studies
- Civilizational Studies including Indus Valley Civilization
- History and archaeology
