Benefits of Online Library for Universities

The share of students who have access to smartphones has been increasing steadily across regions. In India, over 74% of students from private schools and over 50% of students from government schools have access to smartphones at home. Likewise, over 95% of teenagers have access to smartphones at home in the United States of America.

Access to mobile devices has changed the way students acquire knowledge and obtain degrees. A large percentage of college and university students these days understand a topic by accessing multimedia content instead of reading printed books. At the same time, many students acquire knowledge and develop skills by joining online courses or training programs.

Universities can no longer meet the needs, preferences, and expectations of new-generation students by setting up conventional libraries. They must enable students to access digital learning content in their preferred way by switching from traditional libraries to online libraries. We are discussing the major benefits of an online library for universities.

12 Important Benefits of Online Library for Universities

On-Demand Access

In a conventional learning environment, students complete course-related activities using smartphones and tablets. Likewise, no student can complete an online course or certification program using computers and mobile devices. Hence, universities must ensure that each student can access digital learning content in his preferred way. Online libraries enable regular and remote students to access digital learning content anytime and anywhere using computers or mobile devices.

Multi-Format Content

In addition to facilitating on-demand content access, digital libraries enable university students to understand topics or conduct research by accessing content in various formats. Based on his preferences, a student can acquire knowledge by reading eBooks, watching videos, listening to audio, taking quizzes, or accessing simulations. The multi-format content helps universities boost classroom-based and online learning experiences simultaneously.

Curated Content

Online libraries are usually developed as repositories of multi-format digital content. However, new-age digital libraries are developed with content curation capabilities. The feature makes the software effective in sharing thought leadership content collected from reliable sources. The curated content shared by the software helps university students understand a topic deeply by understanding different perspectives and viewpoints.

Learner Engagement

Most universities these days offer online courses and certification programs. However, they find it challenging to persuade about 85% of students to complete online courses. Leading online library platforms help universities increase online course completion rates by boosting learner engagement. They engage students by gamifying their learning experience using popular gamification techniques like coins, badges, and scorecards.

Search Interface

While visiting a conventional library, students have to browse through many books to find the required information. However, online libraries enable them to find the relevant information instantly. Leading digital library software speeds up information search by featuring intuitive search interfaces. In addition, students can use filters to access the content in their preferred format.

Real-Time Tracking

New-age digital library platforms feature advanced dashboards. The dashboard helps administrators gather real-time information about students accessing digital learning content. Also, administrators can make informed decisions by identifying the content needs and content format preferences of university students. He can bridge the gap by adding relevant resources to the online content repository.

Regular Updates

In the age of intelligence technologies, information and trends become obsolete quickly. Students and researchers expect universities to provide up-to-date content. Traditional libraries make it challenging for universities to update content frequently without escalating costs. On the other hand, online libraries enable students to access up-to-date content in multiple formats without any delays.

Vernacular Education

In addition to offering language courses, most universities support vernacular learning. They need to ensure that a student has the option to access content in his preferred language. No university can support vernacular learning without switching from traditional libraries to online libraries. Multilingual digital library platforms make it easier for universities to deliver content in various languages without incurring extra costs.

Library Management Automation

Online libraries help universities curb staffing costs by automating routine library management activities. An administrator can monitor, organize, and update multimedia content using the intuitive interface provided by digital library software. At the same time, the university can update and preserve the digital content without deploying skilled librarians.

Knowledge Preservation

Conventional libraries make it challenging for universities to preserve knowledge for future generations. A university has to deploy skilled staff to prevent the deterioration of important physical library resources like printed books, cassette tapes, vinyl records, and CDs. However, it can preserve online resources without increasing staffing costs. Also, the scalable nature of loud-based digital library solutions makes it easier for them to accommodate fresh content and new users on demand.

Cost Reduction

As noted earlier, online libraries help universities curb staffing costs in several ways. In addition, a university can set up an online library without investing in physical infrastructure. It can further reduce upfront and ongoing costs by accessing the cloud-based online library platforms based on the pay-as-you-use pricing models.

Sustainability

Sustainability is currently one of the hottest trends in the education sector. Like companies and startups, schools, colleges, and universities protect nature and the environment by implementing sustainability best practices. Traditional libraries make it challenging for universities to become sustainable. However, online libraries drive sustainability by making the same multimedia content accessible to a large number of students without requiring extra energy and resources.

Conclusion

In the digital age, no university can meet students’ content needs and preferences without replacing conventional l libraries with online libraries. Cloud computing helps universities set up online libraries by reducing time, costs, and complexities. Also, a university can customize and scale the cloud-based digital library platform on demand according to its precise needs.

At the same time, it can combine the digital library software seamlessly with learning management systems, online classroom software, and other eLearning tools using application programming interfaces. The integration helps universities boost online and distance learning by building a unified learning platform. Hence, a university can leverage the benefits of an online library by opting for cloud-based edtech solutions.