The Library Revolution
Books can prove to be the greatest joy in a person's life. For a student, there's nothing more important than proper academic books and papers that will help shape your education. Unfortunately, getting access to international academic books can be expensive in Bangladesh. Even if you can get access to the necessary journals, notes and other academic books in some public libraries in the capital city at the lowest possible charge, if you live in a smaller city, travelling all the way to Dhaka to borrow some books from a library is not really an option.
This is where the online library launched recently by The British Council Bangladesh can come to use. The online collection - launched alongside with the British Council's new and refurbished library at Fuller Road, Dhaka – boasts of a collection of over 80,000 e-books and around 14,000 journals, newspapers and magazines.
“This library is for anybody who really wants to learn. You don't necessarily have to be a student to register for our online library services,” says Sarwat Reza, Manager of the Library at British Council Bangladesh. “Anybody who is willing to enrich their knowledge on a particular subject but don't have the proper setting to do that are welcome to check out our online library. Moreover, you can access our digital library from anywhere in the world,” she adds.
The number of books available in their online selection far exceeds the number of books available at their already extensive physical library at Fuller Road, which hoards around 15,000 books. If you are a student of agriculture, fear not. You will find great books and articles on your subject at their online library. Looking for a book on medicine? British Council's online library will surely have something for you. Be it agriculture, architecture, science, medicine, journalism, sociology – British Council's digital library offers you journals, books and articles on all these subjects and then some more.
Some existing library members of the council living in other cities think that the online library will be extremely beneficial for them as it's not possible to travel all the way to Dhaka when they don't find the desired book at the British Council library present in their city. Riya Khan, an undergrad student living in Chittagong, says that as she is planning to attend a graduate school abroad, she often has to read up on academic books and papers on architecture, her subject of interest. “I often visit Dhaka as my father lives there and had even registered as a member of British Council's library there as it has a more extensive collection. But with increasing work load, it was getting more and more difficult for me to make the time to visit the library. I'm really glad and relieved that they've decided to launch a digital library, as this will allow me to access the books and journals anywhere and at any time,” she says.
British Council's library situated in Dhaka has a member base of over 5000 members. However, at the moment, they only have the capacity to accept 1000 members for their digital library. “The digital library will operate independently and separately from the physical libraries. You won't have to be a member of any of our other libraries to get access to our digital archives. We do have limited membership for the digital library at the moment but we hope to expand this number to include more members in the near future,” says Sarwat Reza.
If you want to be a member of the British Council's digital library, be prepared to pay a yearly fee of Tk 2000. You will also need to register as a member, so you will have to take your pictures and other necessary details to the British Council office in your city. Check out their website or give them a quick call for further details. Happy reading!
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