With the growing academic interest in the Chinese and South Asian diaspora throughout the other parts of Asia and the world, libraries and archives strive to meet the demands of researchers. At times considered as integral participants within their adopted communities and at other times ignored, discriminated against or suppressed, the Chinese and South Asian communities have none-the-less made significant contributions to their host societies. Frequently the historical evidence of their contributions has been suppressed or lost. Yet, with recent anti-Chinese riots in Indonesia, the social role played by Indians in Southern Africa before and during apartheid, and the continued economic position of both communities in Southeast Asia and the west, it is clear that these groups play a vital role within their host countries.

The focus of this roundtable will be to bring academicians and librarians together to share their interests, findings, and knowledge about these communities. Discussants will share their knowledge about documentary sources, oral histories, published works and other research materials with the attendees. Through the comments of the panelists and discussion with attendees, the roundtable will try to answer some of the following questions:

(1) What resources on Chinese diaspora are currently neglected or otherwise not collected?

(2) What kind of prioritization is needed to guide collection development (e.g. materials at greatest/least risk)?

(3) What mechanisms shall we develop to facilitate cooperation among library collections and researchers in different countries which emphasise the Chinese or South Asian diaspora?

(4) What types of databases are needed to support international scholarship on Chinese/South Asian diaspora?