National Digital Library of India

Last updated

National Digital Library of India (NDLI)
Type of site
 Education
Available in12 Search Languages languages
HeadquartersIIndian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kharagpur,
Kharagpur, West Bengal
,
India
Country of originIndia
Key peopleDr. B. Sutradhar, Jt. PI of NDLI, Librarian of Central Library, IIT Kharagpur
Employees>92 (January 2023)
URL www.ndl.gov.in
CommercialNo
RegistrationFree
Users Increase2.svg 87,09,389+ (July 2024)
Launched19 June 2018
Current statusActive
Content license
CC0

The National Digital Library of India (NDLI) functions as a virtual repository of educational resources, including textbooks, articles, videos, audio books lectures, simulations, fiction, and other instructional materials for the academic community. This initiative is managed by the Ministry of Education,  Government of India, through its National Mission on Education via Information and Communication Technology (NMEICT). The primary objective of the project is to aggregate and organize metadata, providing full-text indexing from various national and international digital libraries and other relevant sources. NDLI offers complimentary access to an extensive collection of books and supports content in multiple languages, with search functionality available in the twelve most widely used Indian languages. The platform is developed, operated, and maintained by the Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur, West Bengal. [1]

Contents

NDLI facilitates access to educational materials across diverse disciplines and academic levels, consolidating content from numerous national and international sources, including books, articles, theses, audio-video lectures, and Open Educational Resources (OERs). The platform supports multiple languages, ensuring resources are accessible to a broad audience. Constructed using open architecture, open-source software, and open metadata, NDLI provides access to over 100 million items in 39 Indian languages, out of a total of 452 languages. [2]

History and timeline

Genesis

The development of the digital library portal was initiated as a Pilot project (NDLI Ph-I) in April 2015, lasting until 30 September 2017. The second phase (NDLI Ph-II) began on 1 October 2017 and was originally scheduled to end on 31 March 2020, but was extended to 31 March 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Ministry of Education, Government of India, launched the third phase (NDLI Ph-III) on 1 April 2021, with the project expected to run until 31 March 2026. [3] [4]

The Digital Library Portal was officially inaugurated on 19 June 2018 by the Union Human Resource Minister Prakash Javadekar. The initiative aimed to integrate significant Indian digital and non-digital libraries through a single-window platform, ensuring accessibility to educational resources for all demographics. [5]

2014-2017: Establishment and Growth

The digital library portal's development began as a pilot project (NDLI Ph-I) in April 2015. By 2016, the beta version of the portal went live. During this period, content was aggregated, and partnerships were established with numerous institutions across India, including central libraries of various universities, public libraries, and other educational institutions. The portal expanded its repository and incorporated tools to facilitate access and usability, including multilingual support. [6]

2017-2020: Phase Two and Official Launch

The official launch of the NDLI platform occurred on 19 June 2018, with the stated aim of democratizing access to knowledge for over 50 million students across India. By 2019, NDLI had aggregated over 30 million items in more than 70 languages, covering subjects such as literature, science, mathematics, engineering, and medicine. During this period, its reach was expanded, and advanced technological features were integrated to enhance user experience. A new and more user-friendly UI was launched to make it accessible on various devices, promoting wider use in both urban and rural areas. By that time, NDLI also enhanced its capabilities in handling and preserving Indigenous content, including rare manuscripts and folk literature, contributing to the preservation of cultural heritage. [7]

NDLI's Response to the COVID-19 Lockdown

As schools, colleges, and universities across India went into complete lock down on 25 March 2020, NDLI adapted by shifting from a ‘data-focused’ approach to one centered on ‘agility and service,’ requiring significant efforts in classifying content into user-targeted services, resulting in the first major overhaul of the site since its inception. [8]

2021- 2026: Phase Three

Phase Two of the NDLI project was approved for the period from 2017 to 2020. However, the project timeline was extended due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2021, the Ministry of Education, Government of India, extended the NDLI project until 2026. As normal activities gradually resumed after the pandemic, a major overhaul of NDLI was implemented to further enhance its capabilities and reach. [9]

Launch of NDLI 3.0: A New Era of Digital Learning

On 22 April 2024, the National Digital Library of India (NDLI) launched its 3.0 version, designed to create a more personalized user experience through an enhanced interface. [10]

Focus on Education

NDLI currently houses content from 23 state boards and national boards such as CBSE and NCERT. The range of content includes school, college, and university-level topics, as well as material for 21st-century skills such as digital literacy, language and communication, and scientific temper. These resources are available in text, video, audio book, presentations, and simulations in multiple Indian languages, aligning NDLI’s objectives with the vision of the National Education Policy.[ citation needed ]

Services

NDLI Club

Like other digital libraries worldwide, NDLI faces the challenge of disseminating, popularizing, and increasing user awareness of its platform. To address this, several initiatives have been undertaken with the assistance of the Government of India, including the NDLI club. [11]

In 2020, the Indian government launched the National Education Policy (NEP 2020), and NDLI used this as an opportunity to promote the platform and help educational institutions adopt key recommendations outlined in NEP 2020, such as the establishment of topic-centered and project-based clubs designed to nurture students' interests and talents through supplementary enrichment material, guidance, and support.

NDLI launched the NDLI Club in March 2021 as a digital initiative that provides a platform for institutions to establish activity-based clubs where students can engage in various learning activities using content from the NDLI repository. The NDLI Club platform enables institutions to create events, upload reports, maintain event logs, automatically generate certificates, and build networks to exchange resources.[ citation needed ]

As of July 2024, over 5,800 institutions have established clubs using the NDLI Club platform, bringing together nearly 1.7 million members from different regions of India. The primary objective of the NDLI Club is to promote NDLI awareness among students and teachers through activity-based learning, offering NDLI as a resource and service. [12]

Institutional Digital Repository (IDR)

The National Digital Library of India (NDLI) provides Institutional Digital Repository (IDR) services to academic institutions across India. To date, NDLI has facilitated the establishment of more than 150 IDRs, enhancing the digital infrastructure of these institutions.[ citation needed ]

Digital Preservation Centre (DPC)

NDLI set up its own Digital Preservation Center at Salt Lake in 2019. [13] Initially, the contents of "Presidency Alumni Association" were digitized there and integrated into NDLI. This features content such as:

Access and restrictions

User registration is open to users from around the world. However, content from some sources is only accessible to registered users, including works from:

Management

The library is managed by the Indian Institute of Technology in Kharagpur.

See also

References

  1. ↑ "National Digital Library of India". ndl.iitkgp.ac.in. Retrieved 30 July 2024.
  2. ↑ "Welcome to National Digital Library of India Project Website – NDLI Project Website" . Retrieved 3 March 2025.
  3. ↑ "National Digital Library up in pilot stage". Business Standard . 25 May 2016. Retrieved 23 August 2024.
  4. ↑ "MHRD Digital Library Press Release" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2 February 2017.
  5. ↑ "Union HRD Minister dedicates the National Digital Library of India to the Nation". mhrd.gov.in. Retrieved 8 July 2019.
  6. ↑ "Launch of National Digital Library of India – Welcome to National Digital Library of India Project Website" . Retrieved 26 March 2025.
  7. ↑ "NDLI Launch – Welcome to National Digital Library of India Project Website" . Retrieved 26 March 2025.
  8. ↑ "National Digital Library of India Reaches Out To Students Amid COVID-19 Lockdown". www.ndtv.com. Retrieved 23 August 2024.
  9. ↑ "Milestones – Welcome to National Digital Library of India Project Website" . Retrieved 26 March 2025.
  10. ↑ "National Digital Library of India (NDLI)". www.ndl.gov.in. Retrieved 26 March 2025.
  11. ↑ "NDLI Club – Welcome to National Digital Library of India Project Website" . Retrieved 30 July 2024.
  12. ↑ Inculcate Learning (9 December 2023). National Digital Library of India | NDLI Club |UGC NET Paper-1/Paper-2 Education @InculcateLearning . Retrieved 23 August 2024– via YouTube.
  13. ↑ "NDLI: Digital Preservation Centre". www.ndl.gov.in. Retrieved 30 July 2024.
  14. ↑ "NDLI: জ্ঞান ও বিজ্ঞান : বর্ষ ৬০ (২০০৭)". www.ndl.gov.in. Retrieved 23 August 2024.
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