Oriental and India Office Collections: Meaning (information, definition, explanation, facts)

The Oriental and India Office Collections (OIOC) form a significant part of the holdings of the British Library. The collections include the documents from the India Office Library and Records, relating to the entire history of British involvement in India and other parts of the eastern world, as well as materials in the languages of Asia and of north and north-east Africa.

The collections include transcriptions of baptism, marriage, and burial records of Christians of European descent, sent to Britain from India during the period of British rule, which are a vital resource in researching the genealogy of Anglo-Indians or domiciled Europeans who lived there.