What Is Available at the ICES Library and Where Is It Located?

Updated

The ICES Library is listed on the ICES website as having locations in Colombo and Kandy. It sits alongside the centre's research, public engagement and art programmes, so it functions as the reading and reference point for people working on ethnicity, governance, gender and related social science themes. The site confirms the two library locations and the library's place among ICES's core offerings; it does not publish opening hours, membership rules or catalogue access details, so those need to be confirmed directly with ICES.

Where the Library Is

The ICES site names the library under the heading "Library" with the locations "Colombo & Kandy." The Colombo address that appears repeatedly for ICES events is:

ICES Colombo Auditorium, No. 2 Kynsey Terrace, Colombo 8

That address is given for public events held at ICES Colombo, which makes it the practical reference point for visiting the Colombo site. The site does not give a separate street address for the Kandy library, so if Kandy is your destination, ask ICES for the exact location before travelling.

What the Library Supports

The library is best understood as part of a research institution rather than a standalone public library. The website's other sections show what kind of material it backs up:

ICES section What it offers How it relates to the library
Current Research Research papers and reports, e.g. Three Contradictions of Liberalism; Presence and Influence: Local Politics and Gendered Realities; Towards a Safe New World: Navigating Gender-Based Violence and Women's Leadership These are the kinds of outputs a reader would expect to consult in a specialist ethnic studies collection
Books Contested Histories Monograph-length work tied to the centre's research themes
Public Engagements Talks such as A Review of Sri Lanka's Judicial Response to Workplace Harassment (21 Jul 2026), Just a Phase: The Forgotten Lunar Calendar (24 Jun 2026), Refugees & Asylum Seekers in Sri Lanka (22 Jun 2026) Events give context to the research; the library is the natural place to follow up on a topic raised in a talk
Art & Social Change Film works including Whispers Beneath the Tree (with Sinhala and Tamil subtitles) and Shadows of the Other Colombo Multimedia material on related social themes

The site does not list the library's catalogue, borrowing privileges, digital databases or whether the collection is open to the general public. Treat any assumption of open public access as unverified.

How to Use It in Practice

  1. Decide which location you need. Colombo is the better-documented option because the Kynsey Terrace address is published for events. For Kandy, request the address first.
  2. Check access before you go. The site gives no opening hours or membership terms. Contact ICES through the details on ices.lk and ask specifically about library access, hours and whether you need an appointment.
  3. Prepare a topic, not just a title. Because the library supports the centre's research areas, arriving with a subject focus—ethnic relations, gender and leadership, judicial responses to harassment, refugee and asylum issues—will help you use the collection efficiently.
  4. Pair a visit with an event. Public engagements are held at the Colombo auditorium at the Kynsey Terrace address. Attending a talk and then consulting related material is a practical way to combine the two.
  5. Verify the material you want exists. The site highlights selected papers and books but is not a full catalogue. Ask ICES whether a specific title or report is held before making the trip.

Common Pitfalls

  • Assuming a public lending library. Nothing on the site describes lending services or general public membership. Confirm before planning around borrowing.
  • Assuming the Kandy address matches Colombo. Only the Colombo event address is published; the Kandy library location is not specified.
  • Treating the website as a catalogue. The research and books listings are highlights, not an inventory of holdings.
  • Ignoring the event calendar. The public engagements listed run on specific dates in 2026; if you want to combine a visit with a talk, check the date and venue rather than arriving on an arbitrary day.

For the most reliable answer on hours, access and holdings, the ICES website's contact details are the starting point—the published site establishes the two locations and the library's role within the centre, but not the operational details a visitor needs.