National Library keeps up with digitisation

The National Library of Pakistan, which is among the prominent libraries of the capital, has continued to evolve with time and successfully facilitate readers through the recent years of modern digitisation.

Established in 1951, the library serves as the topmost knowledge resource centre of the nation as well as the fountainhead of library development in the country. To this day, the library strives to develop a significant collection of human knowledge, a comprehensive collection of national literary heritage, and excellent library services for the promotion of a knowledge-based society in Pakistan.

National Library of Pakistan Director General Yasir Arfat said, in an interview, that the tender regarding the digitisation of the library's newspaper and rare books collection was started in December 2018 through the PSDP project. Proper work on the digitisation process began in 2019 and the project was completed in 2021. The total budget allocated for this project was over Rs42 million.

"We are using DSpace software to store and preserve the data of books and old newspapers. We have digitised newspapers from 1968 to 2015 and also digitised 11,000 rare books and 580 manuscripts. We have also deputed staff to guide researchers and visitors on how to use this software to access their desired data," he said.

"National Library of Pakistan plans to establish a smart digital library to modernise its services and enhance public access to knowledge resources. The Chinese Embassy has also expressed its interest in setting up a state-of-the-art, digitally equipped corner within the library. This collaborative effort aims to promote technological advancement, cultural exchange, and stronger bilateral ties between Pakistan and China," he explained.

He further shared that they would soon launch a fellowship programme for researchers and writers to engage them in data and research activities as the DSpace software will be helpful for them in acquiring the data. Discussing the technical challenges, he noted that the library currently owns a book scanner, but it is outdated and does not meet current digitisation standards. To address this, the library has recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Associated Press of Pakistan (APP), which is being equipped with a specialised Newspaper scanner. "This scanner will help the library to scan, store and preserve valuable data for archiving newspapers," he added.