PITB establishes e-libraries in 20 districts

LAHORE: The Punjab Information Technology Board (PITB) and Youth Affairs, Sports, Archeology and Tourism Department (YASAT) have established e-libraries in 20 districts of Punjab.

A central digital library has been established at the Punjab Information Technology Board data centre to provide online access to full text ebooks, ejournals, e-theses, online reference collections, Nobel laureate collections, documentaries, simulated videos and other local and international resources. A union catalogue of libraries in Punjab has also been developed to facilitate sharing of resources across Punjab.

These libraries are focused to inculcate e-reading and e-learning culture, to provide avenues to general public for networking, exchange of views, open access to free online resources and limited access to members for subscribed resources, engage youth and players into healthy. The library would facilitate visually impaired, deaf and persons with physical disabilities.

These libraries have been established at the districts Attock, Bahawalpur, Bhakhar, Dera Ghazi Khan, Faisalabad, Gujranwala, Gujrat, Lahore, Mianwali, Multan, Muzaffargarh, Narrowal, Okara, Rahim Yar Khan, Rawalpindi, Sahiwal, Sargodha, Sheikhupura, Toba Tek Singh and Vehari.

Each library comprises an auditorium with 50 user seating arrangements and multimedia facility, e-Rozgar rooms with 16 computers, e-learn facility, digital library access room with 10 computers, five tables and beautiful work stations. Each library provides free Wi-Fi internet.

Electromagnetic-based library security system has been installed in each library for protection of pilferage of resources. In each library around 3,000 high quality print books, documentaries and magazines have been provided in air-conditioned environment with access to central digital library resources. Free access to every citizens, no membership fee, open seven days in two shifts.

A centralided digital library established and hosted at PITB data center provides access to more than 50,000 e-books e-theses, documentaries, videos, audios, local and international e-newspapers, e-magazines and journals, text and reference books, data sets and e-newspapers through user friendly searching. This is the only digital library in the country that provides access to Oxford Reference Online, Cambridge Companions and  Nobel Laureates presentations.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 4^th, 2018.