To enable students to have instant and trouble-free access to books and other learning material the government is establishing libraries in public schools and hostels of colleges in Srinagar.Under the first phase of the initiative at least 50 libraries are being established at identified schools and student hostels.These include 25 schools selected for the administration's ambitious pilot project involving modernisation of public schools in the district.Schools in the outskirts of Srinagar - in Soiteng, Khonmoh, Harwan and Faqir Gujri areas - are also being equipped with libraries to enable students of these remote areas to have effortless access to books.Educational institutions being covered under this include high schools and higher secondaries. These also include hostels of all major colleges in the district — some of which are Bemina Degree College, Amar Singh College and Islamia College of Science & Technology.Government Dental College and Government Medical College of the district also make a part of the list of colleges where these libraries are being set up.I
n addition to books and other relevant reading material in hard copies all these libraries will also provide access to over 50 thousand e-books.These libraries will be connected to the National Digital Library of India to allow free-of-cost access to a treasure trove of different kinds of learning media ranging from textbooks to articles to videos to audio-books to lectures to simulations to fiction among others.Deputy Commissioner Srinagar Dr Shahid Iqbal Choudhary said the aim of setting up these libraries is to facilitate trouble-free acquisition of education at all levels.He said besides books which will be made available on demand in them these libraries will also be equipped with computer and internet facilities to help meet relevant educational needs of users including students and teachers.The establishment of these libraries in the district is a joint initiative of the Srinagar district administration and the Srinagar Smart City Limited.