Background: The South Asian Cochrane Network was established in December 2004 (now South Asian Cochrane Network and Centre [SACNC]). India is one of the few countries with a national subscription for The Cochrane Library. Methods: We conducted a survey to assess the awareness of the Cochrane Collaboration and use of The Cochrane Library among undergraduate medical students, medical postgraduates, medical faculty and clinicians. An online survey was conducted using Google Docs, with a structured proforma. We emailed 560 people selected from email address books and contact lists. We excluded members of the SACNC mailing list. Results: We obtained 96 responses (55 men and 41 women; 60% aged below 30 years). Forty-nine per cent of respondents were final year medical students; 14% postgraduate students; 23% faculty members and the remaining clinicians. The percentage of people who had heard of the Cochrane Collaboration, The Cochrane Library and SACNC were 40%, 67% and 18% respectively. The awareness was least among the undergraduate medical students. Only 44% had used The Cochrane Library.Among those who had used The Cochrane Library, 90% found it very useful or useful for postgraduate theses, research work and to answer clinical questions. 24% access The Cochrane Library once in 15–30 days and 58% less than once a month. 57% access The Cochrane Library from their homes, 17% from the hospital and 20% from browsing centres. 24% of those using The Cochrane Library felt that the Library contains only Cochrane systematic reviews. Conclusion: The awareness of the Cochrane Collaboration, SACNC and use of The Cochrane Library was low, especially among the medical students in India, despite the mention of Cochrane reviews even in standard textbooks. Further efforts are needed to increase the awareness and use of The Cochrane Library in India.