Mysore/Mysuru: The success of the Government-run digital library initiative — Karnataka Sarvajanika Granthalaya: Karnataka Digital Public Library — launched on Feb.26, 2020, weeks before the nationwide COVID-19 lockdown was imposed has come as a surprise even to the authorities.

Currently, in Karnataka, 3,38,25,206 individuals have subscribed to the digital library, of which 1,21,70,940 are from Bengaluru Urban, securing first place. Haveri, with 22,28,442 subscribers, stands second, followed by Mangaluru with 21,44,694 subscribers, Mysuru with 17,25,417 subscribers stands fourth followed by Gadag district with 16,89,458 subscribers  and Kalaburagi with 16,69,874 subscribers.

The Karnataka digital library today is one of the largest consulted libraries in the world on a daily basis, as recorded by the World Book of Records, London.

The project, a first in the country, started on a small scale to reach out to readers during the lockdown and has now transformed into a sought-after platform due to its vast and diverse content. Anyone with access to a computer, tablet, or smartphone can avail the library membership free of cost and start reading content not just in Kannada but also in English and other Indian languages.

In the first phase, 272 libraries across the State were converted into digital libraries, followed by another 100 in second phase. The project has integrated close to 1.73 crore e-content.

In Mysuru, the project began in just two libraries and now covers 35 libraries across the district, including taluk and village libraries, Deputy Director of the Department of Libraries B. Manjunath told Star of Mysore. Readers can download the E-Library App from Google Play Store or log on to www.karnatakadigitalpubliclibrary.org to avail the services of digital library.

The libraries have been upgraded with computers and laptops and the content has been hosted on the cloud. The content, in the form of e-books, journals and videos, is available in Kannada, English, Tamil, Telugu and many other languages. Many authors have voluntarily donated their books to be used in digital format and the new version of the library has helped many of them prepare to crack competitive exams.

The Department has collaborated with stakeholders such as CBSE, NCERT, Universities and All India Radio archives and offers access to content, including video tutorials, simulated laboratory experiments, journals and periodicals, audio clippings, YouTube links and lectures by resource persons.