National Digital Library

National Digital Library is a digital repository of Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur that provides access to a vast collection of e-books, e-journals, thesis, and dissertations from National Digital Library of India, National Library of India, Delhi University Library, and other Indian universities. The library is a collaborative effort between Ministry of Human Resource Development, Government of India, and Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, with support from National Mission on Education through Information and Communication Technology and National Knowledge Commission. The library aims to provide a single-window access to knowledge resources from National Council of Educational Research and Training, National Institute of Technology, and other institutions of higher education in India, including Jawaharlal Nehru University, University of Delhi, and Indian Institute of Science.

Introduction

The National Digital Library is a digital platform that provides access to a vast collection of academic resources, including e-books from Oxford University Press, Cambridge University Press, and Taylor & Francis, as well as e-journals from Elsevier, Springer Nature, and Wiley-Blackwell. The library is designed to support the academic community in India, including students, researchers, and faculty members from Indian Institute of Technology, National Institute of Technology, and other institutions of higher education, such as Indian Statistical Institute, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, and Indian Institute of Management. The library also provides access to thesis and dissertations from Shodhganga, a digital repository of Indian theses, and EPrints@IISc, a digital archive of research papers from Indian Institute of Science.

History and Development

The National Digital Library was launched in 2016 by Prakash Javadekar, the then Minister of Human Resource Development, Government of India, with the support of Narendra Modi, the Prime Minister of India, and Smriti Irani, the then Minister of Textiles. The library was developed in collaboration with Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, National Digital Library of India, and other institutions of higher education in India, including Jawaharlal Nehru University, University of Delhi, and Indian Institute of Science. The library is built on the DSpace platform, an open-source digital repository software developed by Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Hewlett-Packard, and is hosted at the Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur.

Collections and Resources

The National Digital Library provides access to a vast collection of academic resources, including e-books from Oxford University Press, Cambridge University Press, and Taylor & Francis, as well as e-journals from Elsevier, Springer Nature, and Wiley-Blackwell. The library also provides access to thesis and dissertations from Shodhganga, a digital repository of Indian theses, and EPrints@IISc, a digital archive of research papers from Indian Institute of Science. Additionally, the library provides access to learning resources from National Council of Educational Research and Training, National Institute of Open Schooling, and other institutions of higher education in India, including Indian Institute of Technology, National Institute of Technology, and Indian Institute of Management.

Access and Usage

The National Digital Library is accessible to students, researchers, and faculty members from institutions of higher education in India, including Indian Institute of Technology, National Institute of Technology, and Indian Institute of Science. The library can be accessed through the National Digital Library website, which provides a single-window access to knowledge resources from National Digital Library of India, National Library of India, and other digital libraries in India, such as Delhi University Library and Jawaharlal Nehru University Library. The library also provides mobile apps for Android and iOS devices, allowing users to access the library on-the-go.

Benefits and Impact

The National Digital Library has several benefits and impact on the academic community in India. The library provides access to a vast collection of academic resources, which can be accessed from anywhere, at any time, using the National Digital Library website or mobile apps. The library also provides a platform for researchers to share their research papers and thesis with the global academic community, through Shodhganga and EPrints@IISc. Additionally, the library supports the Open Access movement, which aims to make research papers and academic resources freely available to everyone, as advocated by Budapest Open Access Initiative and Berlin Declaration on Open Access to Knowledge in the Sciences and Humanities.

Challenges and Future Directions

Despite its benefits, the National Digital Library faces several challenges, including digital divide, copyright issues, and sustainability. The library needs to address these challenges to ensure its long-term sustainability and impact. The library also needs to expand its collections and resources to include more e-books, e-journals, and thesis from institutions of higher education in India and abroad, such as Harvard University, Stanford University, and University of California, Berkeley. Additionally, the library needs to develop more user-friendly interfaces and mobile apps to improve user experience and engagement, as suggested by National Knowledge Commission and National Mission on Education through Information and Communication Technology. The library can also explore collaborations with other digital libraries and institutions of higher education in India and abroad, such as National Library of Australia, British Library, and Library of Congress, to expand its collections and resources. Category:Digital libraries