New Delhi, May 1 (IANS) Taking help from the Parliament Secretariat, Delhi Legislative Assembly library will soon be turned into a state-of-the-art e-Library through a structured process of digitisation, leveraging advanced IT infrastructure, modern gadgets, and software solutions, Speaker Vijender Gupta said on Thursday.
Addressing a meeting focused on transforming the existing library, the Speaker emphasised the significance of this initiative in strengthening legislative research and ensuring seamless access to information in a rapidly evolving digital environment.
He stated that the establishment of an e-Library will not only to help preserve valuable archival materials but also enhance efficiency, accessibility, and sustainability across legislative functions.
The meeting was also attended by Deputy Speaker Mohan Singh Bisht.
The Delhi Legislative library was established in 1952 with the formation of the first Legislative Assembly and was initially part of the Vidhan Sabha. However, operations ceased in 1958 following the reorganisation of states.
The library was later brought under the control of the Delhi Administration Secretariat, and in 1989, administrative oversight was transferred to the Metropolitan Council Department.
With the reconstitution of the Delhi Assembly in 1993, it was officially renamed the Delhi Legislative Assembly library. Today, it houses a valuable collection of over 40,000 documents thereby continuing its vital role in supporting informed legislative processes, said an official.
Several distinguished experts from leading academic and administrative institutions participated in the meeting chaired by Speaker Gupta on Thursday and shared valuable suggestions to guide the planning and execution of this digital transformation.
The participants included H. Saikholian Simte (Director Lok Sabha Secretariat), Dr. Kumar Sanjay, Director (Library), NITI Aayog; Dr. Pravin Babbar, Librarian, Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU); and Dr. E. Rajalakshmi, Librarian, National School of Drama ; Pritam Singh, Executive Engineer(E), PWD ; S.S. Bhadauriya, Executive Engineer (C),PWD; and K.K. Singh, Superintending Engineer, Central and North Division (Electrical), PWD, Legislative Assembly Secretariat.
Their inputs covered a wide range of areas, including best practices in library digitization, effective use of metadata, integration of modern library management systems, and user accessibility, an official said.
Librarians from Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), the Parliament Library, and the National School of Drama (NSD) shared their experiences with the E-Granth Mala platform. The Director of Parliament library informed the Speaker that all newspapers published since 1947 are available in library. Dr. Pravin Babbar from JNU highlighted that the university’s library holds over 6 lakh and 800,000 news clippings have already been digitized.
–IANS
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