hi shobha,
great idea u r planning on a library.r u planning it in india? there are very good bookstores in B'lore who have vast selections on south india/kerala history/customs.The Strand,Premeir Book House,Sapna book house, etc. all stock good books and even in details like The nayars of malabar,or the kurups,varma family or the chola dynasty etc.written by indian sometime foreign(east india co) writers even reprints from the 1900's!!
but these r all academic ref.books so ask them to check in the History/Sociology sections.costs r reasonable Rs.200-750 depending on the no. of volumes u want. i don't know if this helps but these book store owners r first book lovers so they can go the extra mile for u if u want something specific :)
happy hunting!
regards,
rain
here's some links :
http://www.lafarge-india.com/webapp/...fBookStore.jsp
http://www.webindia123.com/city/karn...cat=Book+Shops