Sreevalli spent her childhood awed by her grandfather, M.A. Partha Sarathy, and great-grandfather, the former Prime Minister of Gwalior, M.A. Sreenivasan, who lived to 101. As an only child, she spent a great deal of time with them, building incredible and enduring bonds that impact her to this day. During the pandemic, she began to dig into her family history, beginning with her great-grandfather. She tells about how M.A. Sreenivasan was renowned for his civil service, support of and work with Mahatma Gandhi, and as the head of Air India. But she was more curious about the unknowns. In her searches, she discovered his book, Labour in India: Socio-economic Conditions of Workers in the Kolar Gold Mines, authored during what she calls a “side quest” in his life.

She wanted to find and read this work as a way to feel closer to her great-grandfather. She explained how it wasn’t as commonly known that he studied economics, let alone wrote on such a niche topic. “Not even my dad knew, until I showed it to him.” She queried book dealers and libraries from London to Bangalore and Chennai, but struggled to find a copy. Until, the Libraries’ interlibrary loan service sourced it from another university.

Having found such an elusive book, Sreevalli thought she might have luck finding a physical copy of her grandfather’s book, Your Bangalore: The Trees. As with Labour in India, she put in a request via Dartmouth Libraries’ interlibrary loan service. And once again, the Resource Sharing team came through, this time providing her with a copy sent from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

When asked about what makes this book unique, she explained, “Most people know about [M.A. Partha Sarathy] because he brought the World Wildlife Federation to India, was active in the Silent Valley Movement, and was integral in moving elephants from one national park to another, but not as a botanist."

Sourcing articles and books through interlibrary loan is integral to how the Libraries broaden access to resources across the globe. Behind the scenes, the Resource Sharing team, including Emily Wiedrick, Shane Harper, and Ross Blain, are here to trace the materials you seek.

Found an item you need, but it’s currently checked out or the Libraries don’t have it? Submit an interlibrary loan (ILL) request via our self-service portal to access part or all of it!