The Social Science Baha ('Baha' comes from the Newari term for 'Bihar', the traditional monastic centre of learning of Kathmandu Valley) was set up in January 2002 by those who believed that the study of the social sciences needed to be encouraged and facilitated in Nepal. The Baha conducts various activities among the Valley’s intellectual community such as sponsoring talks by scholars, hosting discussion programmes and other information- and knowledge-based activities. For the moment, the Baha’s activities are mainly:1) operating the Social Science Baha Library; 2) running the four-month Immersion Course on Contemporary Social Issues; and 3) conducting lectures under the Social Science Lecture Series.The Baha’s major priority for now is the development of a well-stocked and efficiently managed social science library. The Library is still in the phase of processing books received through a variety of sources. It started with the subsuming of the collection belonging to Himal Association, a non-profit group that will act as the umbrella organisation of the Social Science Baha until it has the administrative and financial capability to stand on its own. The Immersion Course on Contemporary Social Issues was initiated by Himal Association together with Interdisciplinary Analysts and Rato Bangala Foundation and from early 2003, the Social Science Baha took over as the lead executing organisation of the Immersion Course. The Immersion Course has been designed as an orientation programme for graduates without a social science base. It begins with a discussion of the theory and methodology of sociology and anthropology, which is then complemented by a thorough instruction of different aspects of society and its relation to history, ethnicity, education, gender, technology, religion, media, politics, law and economics. A practical social research component is also built into the Immersion Course.

The Social Science Baha Lecture Series is an occasional event which provides a forum to academic personalities to interact with their colleagues in a standard lecture format.

Location
The Library is housed in the top two floors of a house next to the District Post Office and is well within a central urban space of Kathmandu Valley, and adjacent to the well-served bus stop at Patan Dhoka. When the Library is well-established, and should funds allow, the Library can be shifted to a dedicated, customised space.
Institutional back-upAdministrative support for the Social Science Baha is provided by Himal Association, the 13-year-old non-profit organisation involved in all aspects of bringing knowledge and information to the people of Nepal. Members of the Association are acutely aware of the lack of informational facilities in Nepal, which is why they are actively supporting the establishment of the Social Science Baha.Besides providing the Baha with institutional continuity, Himal Association will also extend the assistance required in various arenas of library operation. The Association has already subsumed its own significant collection of books (compiled while it was publishing the Himalayan Himal magazine) within the new library. Further, as and when the Social Science Baha is able to branch out into archiving audio-visual material, the Association will consider placing its own significant collection of South Asian documentaries under the Baha’s care.

Operation
Library hours for the public will be from Noon till 7 pm daily. For the winter months from Mangshir to Magh (Nov 16 2004 to Feb 11, 2005), the library stays open from noon to 6 pm. The library closes on public holidays. Currently, the Library is solely a reading and reference collection.

A nominal annual fee is charged. The rates are different for student, ordinary and institutional members but they are modest and affordable.

There is a well-lit, comfortable reading room and access to the shelves is through the attending librarians. It will not operate on a lending basis.A one-time membership fee will be charged as well as an annual library fee. These fees will be modest for individual members, while institutions will be asked to pay slightly higher rates. Provisions have also been made for short-term temporary membership.The Social Science Baha is setting up a trust fund to ensure the long-term viability of the Library. As the managing group, the Social Science Baha Committee, which consists of Kathmandu-based scholars, professionals and writers who feel strongly the lack of a good social science repository in Nepal, is responsible for collecting funds, the establishment of the Library’s book, journal, monograph and academic paper collections, as well as the daily operation of the Library. The Baha Committee also decides on general policies and guidelines, while a working committee within it deals with management and supervision. All Baha Committee members serve pro bono.

Support
In order to have a comprehensive collection of social science-related works on Nepal, scholars who have worked in Nepal are being requested to contribute their own works and if possible that of their colleagues. Similarly, Himalayan and Nepal scholars are also being asked to bequeath their private collections to the Social Science Baha.Funds for the Social Science Baha and its library are being raised for both short and long terms. Although the operational cost of the Baha has been underwritten by the Ford Foundation until November 2006, we request Nepalis and expatriates, wherever they may be living, as well as bilateral and multilateral institutions to provide assistance in terms of donations. Support is requested in kind (books and journals), but there is a need to raise money to feed into the trust fund in order to provide long-term sustainability to the Social Science Baha. The current goal is to raise Rs 20,000,000 (two crore rupees), the bulk which will be set aside for the corpus fund trust.With this, we ask you to join us in establishing this public library. You can make donations by cash or by cheque made out in favour of SSB-Himal Association, Nepal Investment Bank Limited, Pulchowk, Lalitpur, Nepal. Your support is essential.

For more information, please contact:

Deepak Thapa
Social Science Baha
Himal Association
Patan Dhoka, PO Box 166, Lalitpur, Nepal

Tel: +977-1-5542544 • Fax: +977-1-5541196
email: baha@himalassociation.org
Library email: library_soscbaha@himalassociation.org