Kolhan University is making an ambitious endeavour to join India’s digital library league.

The project is expected to be up and running by the end of this year at an estimated cost of Rs 1 crore. It will offer students and scholars access to digital tomes from across the world through direct link with the Information and Library Network (INFLIBNET) Centre, Gandhinagar, which is an autonomous inter-university centre under UGC.

Around 40 computers will be installed to facilitate the e-library system, said varsity spokesperson A.K. Jha. “Students will gain access to digital libraries across the globe. Apart from textbooks, they can read journals and theses to further their own research,” he said, adding that vice chancellor Shukla Mahanty had made the project her priority.

According to Jha, by-laws for the e-library are already in place and the varsity is now looking at companies that can provide them the best package. “Though many government e-library software are available, the varsity can collaborate with private companies depending on the need and demand of students,” he explained.

Under the Rashtriya Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan, the varsity had in February 2017 decided to enable its existing library with radio frequency identification (RFID) to allow students to access books and academic documents through electronic information stored in chips.

RFID is the use of radio waves to read and capture information stored on a tag attached to an object. It allows library books to be tracked. The librarian can spot a book or number of books a student has been issued and for how long. It allows them to manage the archive easily.

The varsity had floated a tender for the automated library, but delay in building infrastructure shelved the ambitious plan. The refurbished central library in Chaibasa was inaugurated only in July this year.

“After the 40 new computers are installed, we will ensure the library is automated and students have RFID cards for easy access to digital libraries in India and abroad,” Jha said.