E-library becoming popular

(Sharad Sharma) 

Kathmandu - The massive penetration of information and technology across the world has brought about many positive changes, easing the lifestyle of people in various ways. 

Its effect is evident in e-library being opened across the country, providing readers with facility to read digitally. And the popularity of e-library is on the rise. 

Chief of Library Section of the Education Ministry Yadav Niraula admitted to the increasing use of e-library with the advent of information and technology. 

Besides encouraging establishing e-library, the ministry is planning to open digital library in community schools across the country as well, he informed. 

Sajha Siksha E-pati Nepal and Nepal Library Foundation had introduced the concept of e-library for the first time in Nepal. E-pati's Tikaraj Karki said the popularity of tech-friendly e-library is growing at school-level. 

E-library is taken as a relatively safer means of saving reading materials as it is used in a digital form and has no risk of books getting misplaced and lost as hardcopies. 

The E-pati that launched the practice of e-library eight years back in 2066 BS has so far transformed around eight thousand books useful for Public Service Commission and other books written by individuals, 12 thousand books related to health and education and some other four thousand books into electronic form and stored in its library. 

According to Karki, it has so far brought around 350 e-libraries into operation across the country. Of them, 150 have set up in schools. One hardcopy of a book can be used by an individual at once, but in case of e-copy, there is no such restriction. 

More, students are free to transfer reading materials to personal devices like pen drive or e-devices and go through them at their convenient time. E-library is operational without internet service that's why it is getting popularity in rural areas. 

The foundation has developed the e-reading materials targeting school children and demand for them from colleges is gradually increasing. 

Foundation has currently a stock of some 10 thousand books. 

Digital library is a special library where there is a collection of digital objects including text, video, audio and visual materials, stored as electronic media formats. The digital content maybe stored locally, or accessed remotely through computer networks. 

Institutional repository software is designed for archiving, organising, and searching a library's content. Approximately Rs 500,000 is required to establish an e-library, with the availability of at least five computers connected with special software.