Libraries and Digitization : Bangladesh perspective

Muhammad Hossam Haider ChowdhuryLibrarian, Independent University, Bangladesh (IUB)

MEETBdREN 2015Nabab Nawab Ali Chowdhury Senate Bhaban

University of Dhaka

Computers in Libraries of Bangladesh

• Computerization have got momentum in libraries of Bangladesh in 80s.

• Pioneers for computerization of Libraries –– ICDDR,B– BARC

• CD-ROM use for literature search started also from 80s.

Electronic Resources in Bangladesh

• Started in the new millennium.• Oxford Journals possibly the first bundle

electronic resources was used in the libraries of Bangladesh.

• Bundle electronic resources subscription started through the subscription to Jstor by 2002.

Consortia in Bangladesh• In August 2005 Bangladesh University Grants

Commission exchange some ideas with some university librarians of Dhaka on forming a consortium. Professor Monirul Haq, then Member of UGC, presided over that meeting.

• In 2006 under the leadership of Bangladesh Academy of Sciences a consortium was formed with the assistance of INASP.

• In 2012 Bangladesh University Grants Commission formed another consortium for the universities of Bangladesh.

Research4Life

• AGORA – Access to Global Online Research in Agriculture

• ARDI – Access to Research for Development and Innovation

• HINARI – Health InterNetwork• OARE – Online Access to Research in the

Environment

• Over 6000 institutions, 100 countries, 35000 titles

Uses of Digital Resources• Downloading of articles indicates that users have

much interest on it.• IUB’s downloading from 2004 to 2007:

– (Source: IUB Annual Report 2008)

Platforms 2004 2005 2006 2007Emerald Insight

Information not available  12,340 35,418 52,570

JSTOR 1,981 1,689 6,108 8,447

OUP Journals 92 312 460 253

ProQuestSubscription not started  

Subscription not started 

Subscription not started  3,426

Grand Total 2,073 14,341 41,986 64,696

Digital Resources Preservation• Some organizations initiated to preserve

electronic resources in their own servers.• There is also initiatives for local resources

digitization.• Open source software become popular in the

libraries for local resources digitization though some libraries developed their own software.

• However, BanglaJOL, with the assistance of INASP, trying to digitize articles published in Bangladeshi journals.

Digitization in Libraries of Bangladesh

• At present a good number of libraries have initiatives to digitize their own contents.

• Along with the scholarly materials the archival contents are also taken into account for digitization.

• Initiatives are taken by librarians, but organizational mandates in many cases are absent.

• Legal issue needs to be addressed for digitization.

Some Issues of E-resources• Universities, specially libraries, should have high

speed internet connection with WiFi and also adequate workstations.

• Librarians need training to maximize the use of resources and digitization.

• End-users also need training on use of electronic resources.

• Pay per view cannot be materialized efficiently due to uncomfortable provision of payment. So government needs to make this system easy.

Conclusion• Embedded librarianship needs to be practiced

in the era of electronic resources.• Faculty members help is essential to make

electronic resources popular and project of digitization of scholarly materials successful.

• UGC may have a unit to train library professionals of the university to cope with the new demands of services.