Tag: Digital Library

Study@COVID-Time with NDLI

IIT Kharagpur develops JEE Preparation Module on NDLI during COVID-19 Lockdown

Times of India          Navbharat Times         Times Now         Education Times          India Today         NDTV       Jagran Josh          DataQuest      NDTV Khabar  

In a recent announcement JEE Main and NEET UG have been postponed till last week of May 2020 with Shri Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank, Minister, Human Resources Development, Govt. of India urging students to prepare further for these examinations during this period. While the decision for the postponement was expected, students now need adequate online resources and e-learning materials to continue with their preparation. 

IIT Kharagpur has been quick to address the issue by developing a preparatory module for JEE available to students for free on the National Digital Library of India platform.  Students can visit the NDLI website https://www.ndl.gov.in/ or https://ndl.iitkgp.ac.in/ or log on to the NDLI mobile application. A special module named ‘Corona Outbreak: Study from Home’ has been added to the website which contains a wide range of digital content including those preparing for competitive examinations like JEE Advanced. The repository contains NDLI Tutorial for JEE Advanced for 12 years and Practice Questions and Solutions for JEE Preparation. Content for JEE Mains for 5 years is expected to be made available soon.  

“The solutions have been prepared from the perspective of undergraduate students who have cleared JEE as well as subject matter experts and doctoral students in related areas. Hence the solutions are diverse and students can opt for their preferred methods. Further we have provided reference materials for related problems, so students can explore further the topics,” explained Prof. Partha Pratim Das, Joint-Principal Investigator, NDLI.

Students can browse the School option under the Corona Outbreak module or search by relevant keywords. The developers recommend registering on the portal for better user experience though the resources are available without any restrictions.

“Please visit and continue your studies. Please let us know how we can continue to support your preparations. NDLI is accessible through the web as well as mobile App. Be safe but let us be digitally active in academics and connected,” says Prof. P P Chakrabarti, Principal Investigator of NDLI, on his social media handle. He further urges to reach out to students who can be immensely benefited from this platform during this lockdown period. “Digital Libraries have become the next generation paradigm for people to empower themselves with knowledge and contribute to the knowledge gathering of this world,” he added.

NDLI was developed by IIT Kharagpur under the aegis of Ministry of Human Resource Development, Government of India in the year 2016 as a National Mission project. MHRD has been promoting various e-learning platforms since the academic activities have been restricted in educational institutions earlier this month due to CoronaVirus outbreak. NDLI has been at the forefront of such e-learning platforms with over 4.8 crore content in more than 300 languages that can be viewed in 60+ formats apart from e-books (audiobooks, simulations, e-thesis, question papers etc.). The platform has over 55 Lakh users.

“The project, which has been collating content to democratize education for India, has shaped up to be the most promising initiative on the future of libraries from India and symbolizes a strong voice to tell the story from India’s standpoint,” added Prof. Das. 

Building Knowledge Portal of India

For most people outside the country, India is a land of antiquity, of ancient wisdom and knowledge. The preservation of said antiquity and the wealth of cultural heritage, however, has proved to be a challenge in our country. Locating the original material is itself a task but by no means the largest hurdle. Worn, yellow and tattered pages need careful supervision and expert handling of the material. Apart from the expertise required in traditional preservation of antique documents, the digital age calls for the preserved material to not just be digitized, but also be accessible to users of all ages, at all places and at all times. In the West, institutions like the British Library and the US Library of Congress have been digitally preserving cultural artifacts for a while now.

Closer home, National Digital Library of India (NDLI) – an MHRD initiative executed by IIT Kharagpur – is set to deliver 21st Century solutions to age-old problems of preservation of cultural artifacts for posterity. Proud hosts to original digital copies of Kheror Khata – Satyajit Ray’s handwritten screenplay manuscripts, NDLI has carefully archived a series of cultural wealth that narrates the nation’s story of being and becoming.  Digital copies of Jugantar and Amrita Bazar Patrika newspapers are available in NDLI, which have fascinating recordings of India’s history during and post Independence.

However, that is just the tip of the iceberg. India’s wealth of knowledge heritage is as diverse as the inter-web is vast.

Presidency University Kolkata is a 203 years old heritage institution that started its journey in 1817 as Hindoo College. In the year 1855, Hindoo College was transformed to Presidency College by the then British Government. The alumni and teachers of this great institution have helped shape the nation in the fields of economics, science, arts and every nuance in between. Some priceless and antique publications like the Presidency Register of 1934 comprising historical reports, data and a list of students since 1817 of Hindoo-Presidency are the prized possession of the Presidency Alumni Association with no other copy available. These records, data, reports, and articles have been digitized and hosted by an alliance of the Presidency Alumni Association and the National Digital Library of India. In a symbolic coming together of a National knowledge platform with a heritage Institution to pave the way for India’s knowledge heritage, these documents, reports, articles are now available at zero-cost on National Digital Library of India site: https://www.ndl.gov.in/ for anyone, anywhere to access freely to learn, share and grow.

Registration to NDLI is free.

The platform is also available as an android as well as an iOS app.

NDLI: Book Lovers’ Paradise

Business Standard     Financial Express   Millennium Post   The Week  DevDiscourse

It is difficult for book-lovers to control themselves when they see their favourite volumes stacked in racks. However, despite the temptation, it is seldom possible to buy all the books that one may desire – our pockets rarely run that deep. However, at the 43rd KOLKATA INTERNATIONAL BOOKFAIR, being held at Central Park in Salt Lake, you can do exactly that.

You can download any number of your favourite books, for free, using QR codes at stall no 383!

The National Digital Library of India (NDLI) has over 1.5Crore free content in over 300 languages as books, papers, thesis, audiobooks, simulations, short-stories and multiple other formats.

Registration is absolutely free, and volunteers at the stall are more than happy to assist you to log in via computers or install the app on your mobile phone.

Sponsored by MHRD and developed by IITKGP, this is the first time an online library has established a physical presence at the book fair. The stall has been receiving massive footfall since day one, learners of all ages and interest groups have been visiting the stall and downloading books of their choice.

IITKGP students and professors have been manning the site – the digital library is AI enabled to learn and grow with you and your learning needs.

Mr. Bibhas Samanta from Team NDLI said, ‘If you go into any of the other stalls, you might be buying one or two books to fit your budget. The best part of our stall is that you can walk in without a paisa in your pocket and take home as many books as you want at the click of a button!’

Content and Photos contributed by NDLI team