Daijiworld Media Network - Bengaluru (SP)
Bengaluru, Nov 25: As many as 1.91 crore people have already got themselves registered for the Karnataka Digital Public Library started by the Karnataka department of public libraries. This figure is expected to touch two crore by the end of this month. This will be the highest by any state in the country as a whole.
The digital library was started two years back with the aim of ensuring that books should be made available to everyone in the state and to give a boost to the habit of reading.
In the first phase, 272 digital libraries including 30 district central libraries, 26 urban central ibraries and 216 taluk central libraries were opened. In the second phase, digital library services were started in 100 out of the 205 libraries spread over 198 wards of Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike. Now, a total of 372 digital libraries are functional.
Till November 16, 1.91 crore people have registered in the digital library and they have read 20.06 books. E-books, videos, Kannada and English publications, national and international journals, academic, simulation lab, IAS, IPS, KAS, JEE, NEET, CET and other competitive examinations, valuation, trending books, trending videoes, art, literature, sports etc are available in the digital libraries where 16 lac titles are available.
If the soft copies of books authored by writers are given along with the approval of the writers in PDF format, they too are included in the digital portal. About 200 such writers have provided such books and people all over the world are reading them, says director of the department, Dr Satish Kumar Dodmani.
Students of educational institutions and candidates facing competitive examinations should make the best use of the digital libraries. One has to download Karnataka Digital Public Library or download the app through the Play Store. People can enter their names, mobile number, library chosen etc, create their own passwords and become members within minutes, Dodmani points out.
Dr Satish Kumar Dodmani says that 1.91 crore people have registered for the digital public library and 55 crore people the world over have searched for the same. He said that no other state in the country has achieved this feat and therefore Karnataka stands first in digital library.