In this Post
HEC Digital Library – Overview
Affiliated Institutes
Process to Access Library
HEC Digital Library Registration Process
Eligibility Criteria
HEC Digital Library Registration Terms
In this fast pace world, the concept of e-learning is thriving. It is all because of the convenience provided by modern technologies like smart devices and high-speed internet services. Owing to the easy availability of such electronic resources, the concept of free online education in Pakistan also picked up the pace from the very beginning of the twenty-first century.
Consequently, a much-need step was taken by the authorities in this regard. The Higher Education Commission (HEC) Pakistan launched the National Digital Library Program (DL) in 2004. It was the very first digital library in Pakistan operating at a national level.
Shortened as HEC Digital Library, this platform is based on non-profit e-learning services. In this blog, we’ll find out more about this e-learning platform in Pakistan and how it is benefiting the students all over the country.
More About HEC Digital Library
Based on a wide collection of e-books and research materials, the HEC National Digital Library Program facilitates university and college students all over the country. HEC online library can also be beneficial for faculty members of such educational institutions. One of the biggest pros of this e-learning programme is that it’s a non-profit platform. This makes it a good resource for free online education in Pakistan.
HEC Digital Library works in collaboration with many national and international organisations. It helps it provide services like online research databases, e-journals, and magazine subscriptions. Pakistan Research Repository, IEEE Computer Society, and Chemical & Engineering News are a few fine examples in this regard. They have also partnered with EBSCO Information Services to provide free internationally-recognised medical journals.
As per HEC Digital Library’s official website, its database comprises a collection of 75,000 electronic contents. These contents are categorised as high-quality e-journals, internationally-recognised e-books, research articles, and magazines.
In the next section of our piece, we’ll discuss all the major educational institutions that are affiliated with the programme.
HEC Digital Library Affiliated Institutes
Here we have put together a list of some of the major public and private sector universities that are affiliated with the HEC National Digital Library Program.
Public Universities
- Air University (Islamabad)
- COMSATS Institute of Information Technology (Islamabad)
- Institute of Space Technology (Islamabad)
- National University of Technology (Islamabad)
- Quaid-i-Azam University (Islamabad)
- Kinnaird College for Women (Lahore)
- University of Engineering & Technology (Lahore)
- King Edward Medical University (Lahore)
- Dow University of Health Sciences (Karachi)
- NED University of Engineering & Technology (Karachi)
- Pakistan Naval Academy (Karachi)
- University of Karachi
Private Universities
- Capital University of Science & Technology (Islamabad)
- Foundation University (Islamabad)
- Riphah International University (Islamabad)
- Punjab Law College (Rawalpindi)
- Lahore School of Economics
- Lahore University of Management Sciences
- University of Management & Technology (Lahore)
- University of South Asia (Lahore)
- Aga Khan University (Karachi)
- Indus Valley School of Art and Architecture (Karachi)
- Mohammad Ali Jinnah University (Karachi)
- PAF-KIET (Karachi)
- Commecs Institute of Business and Emerging Sciences (Karachi)
For the complete list of universities and research institutions in this regard, you can visit www.digitallibrary.edu.pk/institutes.php from your web browser.
How to Access the HEC Digital Library
If you’re wondering how to access the HEC Digital Library, then you should take a look at the following process, elaborated in a few simple steps.
- To access the digital library, first of all, you need to visit the above-given address.
- Once you log on to the website, you’ll see a list of public/private and research institutes, sorted region-wise.
- Click on the name of your educational institution. It will redirect you to a page with e-learning material.
- Your university will provide credentials to access such material online.
- You can also download e-books, online research materials, and magazine publications.
This is how you can access the digital library, which is a part of the non-profit HEC National Digital Library Program.
How to Register for HEC Digital Library
Here’s how to register for HEC Digital Library
- If you click here, an application form will be downloaded.
- Fill up the form and make your institution a part of this e-learning platform in Pakistan.
- The required information may include the institution’s name and address, the applicant’s name and designation, and the contact details.
- After filling up the form, you need to send it to Mr. Muhammad Asim Khan, a key HEC official. His email address is masim@hec.gov.pk. Don’t forget to mention ‘Registration Form’ in the subject line.
Both public and private educational institutions are eligible to apply. Now that you know about the HEC online Library registration process, let’s take a quick look at the eligibility criteria for it.
Eligibility Criteria for HEC Digital Library Application
The very first thing you should take note of is individual students cannot apply for the membership. It is only accessible at an institutional level. Here are some other key pointers about the eligibility criteria for the HEC Digital Library application.
- All the public and private sector degree-awarding universities and institutes, which are recognised by HEC are eligible.
- Non-profit research institutes
- Higher education and degree-awarding colleges
- Teaching hospitals
- Any other non-governmental organization (NGO) or a civil society organizations (CSO); authorised by the HEC.
Institutions that are not considered eligible for the HEC Digital Library application include
- Universities or institutes that are not recognized by the HEC
- Military or military-affiliated institutions (except those recognised as degree-awarding by the HEC);
- Institutions offering atomic and/or nuclear research programmes
All of the universities registered with this non-profit e-learning programme in Pakistan have to agree to certain terms. We’ll discuss them in detail further in our piece.
HEC Digital Library Registration Terms and Conditions
Some of the mandatory terms and conditions for the HEC National Digital Library Program are as under:
- Participating members shall not take any kind of material, for any financial advantage.
- Copyrights of online publishers shall be respected by all participants of this e-learning programme in Pakistan.
- Public use of downloaded copies of all types of study materials is prohibited.
- All educational institutions accessing the digital library must strictly adhere to all the aforementioned terms and conditions.
Find complete details regarding the terms and conditions of the HEC National Digital Library Program here.
This brings us to the end of our comprehensive overview of the HEC National Digital Library Program. In case, there are any questions or feedback related to any of the aforementioned information, feel free to contact us at blog@zameen.com.
Since you are here reading about the Higher Education Commission (HEC) Pakistan, you may also like to take a look at our detailed pieces on HEC scholarships and HEC degree attestation procedures.
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