National Digital Library of India

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{{Infobox website

| name = National Digital Library of India (NDLI)

| num_users = {{increase}} 87,09,389+ (July 2024)

| launch_date = 19 June 2018

| current_status = Active

| content_license = CC0

| headquarters = Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kharagpur

| location_city = Kharagpur, West Bengal

| location_country = India

| key_people = Dr. B. Sutradhar, Jt. PI of NDLI, Librarian of Central Library, IIT Kharagpur

| num_employees = >92 (January 2023)

| website = {{URL|https://www.ndl.gov.in}}

| type = Education

| registration = Free

| language_count = 12 Search Languages

| country_of_origin = India

| commercial = No

}}

The National Digital Library of India (NDLI) is a virtual repository of educational resources, including textbooks, articles, videos, audiobooks, lectures, simulations, fiction, and other instructional materials for the academic community. This initiative is managed by the Government of India's Ministry of Education, through its National Mission on Education via Information and Communication Technology (NMEICT). The primary objective of the project is to aggregate and organize metadata, providing full-text indexing from various national and international digital libraries and other relevant sources. NDLI offers complimentary access to an extensive collection of books and supports content in multiple languages, with search functionality available in the twelve most widely used Indian languages. The platform is developed, operated, and maintained by the Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur, West Bengal.{{Cite web |title=National Digital Library of India |url=https://ndl.iitkgp.ac.in/ |access-date=2024-07-30 |website=ndl.iitkgp.ac.in}}

The NDLI provides access to educational resources across various disciplines and academic levels, aggregating content from multiple national and international sources such as books, articles, theses, audio-video lectures, and Open Educational Resources (OERs). The platform supports multiple languages, ensuring resources are accessible to a broad audience. Constructed using open architecture standards, open-source software, and open metadata formats, NDLI provides access to over 100 million items in 39 Indian languages, among 452 total languages.{{Cite web |title=Welcome to National Digital Library of India Project Website – NDLI Project Website |url=https://project.ndl.gov.in/ |access-date=2025-03-03 |language=en-US}}

History and timeline

= Genesis =

The development of the digital library portal was initiated as a Pilot project (NDLI Ph-I) in April 2015, lasting until 30 September 2017. The second phase (NDLI Ph-II) began on 1 October 2017, and was originally scheduled to end on 31 March 2020, but was extended to 31 March 2021, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Ministry of Education, Government of India, launched the third phase (NDLI Ph-III) on 1 April 2021, with the project expected to run until 31 March 2026.{{Cite news |date=2016-05-25 |title=National Digital Library up in pilot stage |url=https://www.business-standard.com/article/news-ians/national-digital-library-up-in-pilot-stage-116052501146_1.html |url-status= |access-date=2024-08-23 |work=Business Standard}}{{Cite web|url=http://mhrd.gov.in/sites/upload_files/mhrd/files/dig_lib.pdf|title=MHRD Digital Library Press Release|last=|first=|date=|website=|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170202051920/http://mhrd.gov.in/sites/upload_files/mhrd/files/dig_lib.pdf|archive-date=2017-02-02|access-date=}}

The Digital Library Portal was officially inaugurated on 19 June 2018, by the Union Human Resource Minister Prakash Javadekar. The initiative aimed to integrate significant Indian digital and non-digital libraries through a single-window platform, ensuring accessibility to educational resources for all demographics.{{Cite web|url=https://mhrd.gov.in/union-hrd-minister-dedicates-national-digital-library-india-nation|title=Union HRD Minister dedicates the National Digital Library of India to the Nation |website=mhrd.gov.in|access-date=2019-07-08}}

= 2014-2017: Establishment and Growth =

The digital library portal's development began as a pilot project (NDLI Ph-I) in April 2015. By 2016, the beta version of the portal went live. During this period, content was aggregated, and partnerships were established with numerous institutions across India, including central libraries of various universities, public libraries, and other educational institutions. The portal expanded its repository and incorporated tools to facilitate access and usability, including multilingual support.{{Cite web |title=Launch of National Digital Library of India – Welcome to National Digital Library of India Project Website |url=https://project.ndl.gov.in/events/launch-of-national-digital-library-of-india/ |access-date=2025-03-26 |language=en-US}}

= 2017-2020: Phase II and Official Launch =

The official launch of the NDLI platform occurred on 19 June 2018, with the stated aim of democratizing access to knowledge for over 50 million students across India. By 2019, NDLI had aggregated over 30 million items in more than 70 languages, covering subjects such as literature, science, mathematics, engineering, and medicine. During this period, its reach was expanded, and advanced technological features were integrated to enhance user experience. A new and more user-friendly UI was launched to make it accessible on various devices, promoting wider use in both urban and rural areas. By which time, NDLI also enhanced its capabilities in handling and preserving indigenous content, including rare manuscripts and folk literature, contributing to the preservation of cultural heritage.{{Cite web |title=NDLI Launch – Welcome to National Digital Library of India Project Website |url=https://project.ndl.gov.in/ndli-launch/ |access-date=2025-03-26 |language=en-US}}

= NDLI's Response to the COVID-19 Lockdown =

As schools, colleges, and universities across India went into complete lockdown on 25 March 2020, NDLI adapted by shifting from a ‘data-focused’ approach to an approach centred towards ‘agility and service’. This required significant efforts in classifying content into user-targeted services, resulting in the first major overhaul of the site since its inception.{{Cite web |title=National Digital Library of India Reaches Out To Students Amid COVID-19 Lockdown |url=https://www.ndtv.com/education/national-digital-library-of-india-ndli-reaches-out-to-students-amid-covid-19-lockdown-2225016 |access-date=2024-08-23 |website=www.ndtv.com |language=en}}

= 2021- 2026: Phase III =

Phase II of the NDLI project was approved for the period from 2017 to 2020. However, the project timeline was extended due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2021, the Ministry of Education, Government of India, extended the NDLI project until 2026. As normal activities gradually resumed after the pandemic, a major overhaul of NDLI was implemented to further enhance its capabilities and reach.{{Cite web |title=Milestones – Welcome to National Digital Library of India Project Website |url=https://project.ndl.gov.in/about-us/milestones/ |access-date=2025-03-26 |language=en-US}}

= Launch of NDLI 3.0: A New Era of Digital Learning =

On 22 April 2024, the National Digital Library of India (NDLI) launched its 3.0 version, designed to create a more personalized user experience through an enhanced interface.{{Cite web |title=National Digital Library of India (NDLI) |url=https://www.ndl.gov.in/ |access-date=2025-03-26 |website=www.ndl.gov.in}}

Focus on Education

NDLI currently houses content from 23 state boards and national boards such as CBSE and NCERT. The range of content includes school, college, and university-level topics, as well as material for 21st-century skills such as digital literacy, language and communication, and scientific temper. These resources are available in text, video, audio book, presentations, and simulations in multiple Indian languages, aligning NDLI’s objectives with the vision of the National Education Policy.{{Cite web |title=NDLI CLUB QUIZ COMPETITION (QUIZ- CURRENT AFFAIRS) |url=https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/ndli-club-quiz-competition-quiz-current-affairs-tamilmani-rayappan-u4qsc |access-date=2025-04-10 |website=www.linkedin.com |language=en}}

Services

= NDLI Club =

Like other digital libraries worldwide, NDLI faces the challenge of disseminating, popularizing, and increasing user awareness of its platform. To address this, several initiatives have been undertaken with the assistance of the Government of India, including the NDLI club.{{Cite web |title=NDLI Club – Welcome to National Digital Library of India Project Website |url=http://project.ndl.gov.in/stm_service_category/ndli-club/ |access-date=2024-07-30 |language=en-US}}

In 2020, the Indian government launched the National Education Policy (NEP 2020), and NDLI used this as an opportunity to promote the platform and help educational institutions adopt key recommendations outlined in NEP 2020, such as the establishment of topic-centered and project-based clubs designed to nurture students' interests and talents through supplementary enrichment material, guidance, and support.{{Cite web |title=Wayback Machine |url=https://www.education.gov.in/sites/upload_files/mhrd/files/NEP_Final_English_0.pdf |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20250527040942/https://www.education.gov.in/sites/upload_files/mhrd/files/NEP_Final_English_0.pdf |archive-date=2025-05-27 |access-date=2025-06-02 |website=www.education.gov.in}}

NDLI launched the NDLI Club in March 2021 as a digital initiative that provides a platform for institutions to establish activity-based clubs where students can engage in various learning activities using content from the NDLI repository. The NDLI Club platform enables institutions to create events, upload reports, maintain event logs, automatically generate certificates, and build networks to exchange resources.{{Cite web |title=NDLI Club – BES College |url=https://besdegreecollege.in/ndli-club/ |access-date=2025-04-10 |language=en-US}}

As of July 2024, over 5,800 institutions have established clubs using the NDLI Club platform, bringing together nearly 1.7 million members from different regions of India. The primary objective of the NDLI Club is to promote NDLI awareness among students and teachers through activity-based learning, offering NDLI as a resource and service.{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AEsUKgijwkg&t=33s |title=National Digital Library of India {{!}} NDLI Club {{!}}UGC NET Paper-1/Paper-2 Education @InculcateLearning |date=2023-12-09 |last=Inculcate Learning |access-date=2024-08-23 |via=YouTube}}

= Institutional Digital Repository (IDR) =

The National Digital Library of India (NDLI) provides Institutional Digital Repository (IDR) services to academic institutions across India. To date, NDLI has facilitated the establishment of more than 150 IDRs, enhancing the digital infrastructure of these institutions.{{Citation needed|date=August 2024}}

= Digital Preservation Centre (DPC) =

NDLI set up its own Digital Preservation Centre at Salt Lake in 2019.{{Cite web |title=NDLI: Digital Preservation Centre |url=https://www.ndl.gov.in/dpc |access-date=2024-07-30 |website=www.ndl.gov.in}} Initially, the contents of "Presidency Alumni Association" were digitized there and integrated into NDLI. This features content such as:

The Presidency College Register, a list of graduates from 1858-1925.
Oaten on Netaji - Poem by the Professor of History on Subhas Chandra Bose.
Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay, one of the first Graduates of Presidency College, was marked absent in the attendance record of the class of 1858-59.
Volumes of the journal by the alumni, "Autumn Annual", edited by Late Nabanita Deb Sen.
Issues of the Bengali science journal "Jnan O Bijnan" that were published from 1948-2020.{{Cite web |title=NDLI: জ্ঞান ও বিজ্ঞান : বর্ষ ৬০ (২০০৭) |url=http://www.ndl.gov.in/se_document/bangiya_bijnan_parishad/123456789_JB_BBP/28458?e=0%7CJnan%20O%20Bijnan%7C%7C%7C |access-date=2024-08-23 |website=www.ndl.gov.in}}
A Bengali translation of "Srimadbhagabad gita", contributed by Udbodhan Karyalaya.

Access and restrictions

User registration is open to users from around the world. However, content from some sources is only accessible to registered users, including works from: