Two Days National Workshop on Institutional Digital Repository (IDR) held at Central University of Punjab

Bathinda, August 30, 2024: The Ranganathan Library of the Central University of Punjab, in collaboration with the National Digital Library of India (NDLI), organized a two-day workshop on Institutional Digital Repository (IDR) on August 29–30, 2024. Under the patronage of Hon’ble Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Raghavendra P. Tiwari, the workshop aimed to equip librarians, academicians, and IT professionals with the skills to develop and manage digital repositories, essential for preserving academic content and enhancing research accessibility. Dr. B. Sutradhar, Librarian at IIT Kharagpur and Joint Principal Investigator of NDLI, served as the key resource person, training around 100 participants, comprising Librarians and IT Professionals, from various institutions across the country.

In his inaugural address, Vice-Chancellor Prof. Raghavendra P. Tiwari stated that in ancient times, knowledge was preserved through oral tradition, which later transitioned to written documentation with the development of paper and printing technology. In the 21st century, with advancements in telecommunications and the IT sector, the "Digital Repository" has emerged as a key method for knowledge preservation. Prof. Tiwari underscored the critical role of digital solutions in preserving and disseminating research in the modern academic landscape, emphasizing that Institutional Digital Repositories (IDR) enhance accessibility, foster collaboration, and drive innovation. He added that this workshop would greatly benefit participants by equipping them to leverage IDR platforms effectively.

The key resource person of the workshop, Dr. B. Sutradhar, highlighted that the National Digital Library of India (NDLI) regularly conducts workshops aimed at training librarians and library professionals on the latest developments in digital libraries. He emphasized the critical role of Institutional Digital Repositories (IDR) in preserving and disseminating academic knowledge in the digital age. Dr. Sutradhar also underscored the importance of participating institutions in developing and maintaining their IDRs, which will contribute to the updating and indexing of their e-contents on the NDLI server, thereby enhancing accessibility and knowledge sharing across institutions.

During the two-day workshop, participants received advanced hands-on training for developing Institutional Digital Repositories (IDRs). Dr. B. Sutradhar, along with his team—Dr. Samrat Guha Roy from the Central Library at IIT Kharagpur and Mr. Anindya Mitra from the NDLI Project at IIT Kharagpur—guided participants through various key aspects, including community and collection management, item submission workflows, full-text indexing, metadata schema management, and IDR backup and restoration.

The workshop included a cultural program presented by university students, showcasing unity in diversity at CU Punjab.

During the valedictory session, Dr. Sandeep Kumar Pathak, Librarian at IISER Bhopal, attended as a distinguished guest. He commended the organizers for hosting a workshop on such a relevant topic and praised the sessions for effectively equipping attendees with the skills to create, maintain, and optimize digital repositories using the latest technologies. Participants highly valued the workshop for its informative sessions and interactive approach.

Towards the end, Prof. Rajesh Kumar, Librarian In-charge, expressed his gratitude to Dr. Sutradhar and his team, as well as the library staff, particularly Dr. Bhupinder Singh, Assistant Librarian, for their significant efforts in ensuring the workshop’s success.