HEC National Digital Library: Challenges and Opportunities for LIS Professionals in Pakistan

Introduction The notion of a digital library is not new in developed countries, but the HEC National Digital Library Programme is a unique example of a national-level electronic library from the developing world. Pakistan's University Grant Commission (UGC) was reshaped as the Higher Education Commission (HEC) in September 2002 (Higher Education Commission of Pakistan, n. d.). This is not a cosmetic change: HEC has become the primary agency that regulates higher education in Pakistan. Its main purpose is to make the universities of Pakistan world-class centers of education, research, and development. HEC National Digital Library (NDL) Programme is a fundamental initiative aimed at achieving excellence in higher education. HEC started this programme in February, 2004, with subscriptions to eight databases, with the assistance of the UK's International Network for the Availability of Scientific Publications (INASP), in association with the execution of their Programme for the Enhancement of Research Information (PERI) (Punjab University Library, n.d). The databases are mostly focused on science and technology, and include peer reviewed journals and abstracting services. Other resources include subject and multidisciplinary databases, resources in social sciences and humanities, e-books that use the McGraw-Hill platform, Oxford University Press and Taylor and Francis journals and reference works, and open-access e-books and journals. The HEC has acquired e-resources using a consortium. Since 2004, thirty databases have become available, and users have access to more than 24,000 e-journals and 45,000 e-books in different disciplines (Higher Education Commission of Pakistan, n.d.) HEC organizers held promotional activities with the help of Punjab University Library (PUL) staff and departments. Some workshops were held and pamphlets distributed to create awareness and promote the coming digital library from 2002 to 2004. Since then, the library web page has been the main source for information about development and ongoing activities. Accessibility of Journals and E-books To access the NDL, institutions of higher learning must be registered with the HEC. This programme is accessible by approximately 250 institutions. PUL is also the member of HEC- NDL programme and provides access to more than 75 percent of peer reviewed scientific journals available all over the world. It can be accessed in departments and libraries of three campuses (Quaid-e-Azam, Allama Iqbal, and Gujranwala) through IP registration. Journals are accessible to all teachers, researchers, MPhil and PhD students, class officers, and other enrolled members of PUL. Users receive username and passwords (required in some databases) from the serial section of the PUL. Databases are searchable through ELIN (Electronic Library Information Navigator). ELIN integrates data from several publishers, databases, and e-print open archives. The interface allows users to search documents from multiple sources using a single user-friendly interface. The databases provide different searching options with slight variations in searching techniques. Guidelines for how to search for e-contents are also provided on its web page (Punjab University Library, n. d.). Research Design Universities are centres of research and development. Librarians have key role to play, and their responsibility becomes more crucial in the rapidly-evolving digital culture in universities. The Government of Pakistan has invested a great deal in NDL. This study addresses the challenges faced by LIS professionals and opportunities provided by the HEC- NDL programme. Interviews with working librarians (n=7) and the researchers' personal experiences and observations are supplemented with results and advice from the literature. The "diagnostic-cum-prescriptive approach" is used to study the existing situation and make conclusions. …