24x7 Learning implements Virtual Library at BITS Pilani Move to benefit over 10000 students and faculty of the institute

Bangalore-based 24x7 Learning - the largest eLearning implementation company in India today announced that it has successfully implemented an Online Virtual Library at the prestigious Birla Institute of Technology and Science (BITS Pilani) as a part of its eLearning initiatives with large academic institutions. Books24x7 from 24x7 Learning provides an Online Virtual Library with access to the complete IT, Business, Engineering and Finance text books in a searchable format, which complements the courses covered in the syllabus as well as other industry relevant courses. The virtual Library will eventually benefit 10000+ students and faculty of BITS, Pilani - both on campus and off campus.

BITS Pilani is a leading technological university currently offering Master's degree and Doctoral programmes in various areas of Science, Humanities, Management and various branches of Engineering and Technology. These programs were initially offered to only on-campus students. However, in the past decade it has had significant experience in work intergraded pedagogy and instructional design. BITS felt the need for an online virtual library for its off-campus students and faculty accessing the courses through their Virtual University. In strategic partnership with 24x7Learning, BITS Pilani is now offering Books24x7 as ‘Full Text Online Book Access Facility’ to their off-campus students. The solution works as an Online Virtual Library for these students providing a wide and deep variety of study material for their programmes. With new books added almost every day, this offers the most up-to-date information and resources. The services are offered to their students of ‘Off-campus Work-Integrated Learning Programmes’.

“Work-integrated learning and e-learning at BITS Pilani are not just treated as philosophies and technologies respectively but also as pedagogical drivers,” said Dr. Prof. B.R. Natarajan, Dean – Work-Integrated Learning Programmes, BITS, Pilani. “Digital libraries in all their manifestations are bound to influence the current and future generations of on-campus as well as off-campus learners of BITS Pilani.” he added.

This implementation puts BITS in the august company of such leading institutions worldwide like MIT, Stanford University, Cornell, Malaysia Open University, University of Florida etc. which also provide online facilities to their students and faculty.

Commenting on the initiative, Dr. Rahul Banerjee, Chief, Software Development and Educational Technology Unit, BITS Pilani said, “In addition to the syllabus and courses offered in our campuses across India, we felt the need to provide access to additional Referenceware as a value addition to our students and faculty off campus as well as on campus.”

The Virtual Library will co-exist and complement the existing large on-campus library that BITS Pilani has. "Our readers are increasingly getting used to electronic resources for their study and research. Books24x7 effectively supplements our campus library since it provides a large collection of texts which are not only up-to-date but also can be consulted round the clock and even from remote locations where our students and faculty go for practice school work” adds Dr Ishwara Bhat, Librarian, BITS Pilani.

Books24x7 from 24x7 Learning is the largest online books resource offering unrestricted access to the complete unabridged contents of thousands of latest and best business and technology books from top-notch publishers like Apress, IBM Redbooks, McGraw-Hill, Microsoft Press, MIT Press, Osborne, Sybex, Syngress, Wiley, Amacom, ASTD, Berrett-Koehler, Harvard Business School Press, Jossey-Bass, Oxford University, Wiley and more. Books24x7 is a virtual library with access to the complete text books and reference material for courses covered in the syllabus as well as outside it. All off-campus students, faculty members and select on-campus students of BITS Pilani will be given access to the Virtual Library.

According to Anil Chhikara, Founder & President 24x7 Learning, “The successful implementation at one of India’s leading and respected technology education institutions is a reiteration of the blended learning concept that we have pioneered in India. The virtual library and underlying content will supplement regular classes for students besides making eLearning available to faculty, staff and alumni of BITS Pilani to promote ongoing personal and professional development.”

24x7 Learning, with a deep understanding of and expertise in technology-based training initiatives, is among the leading eLearning implementation companies helping higher educational institutes harness the potential of eLearning for their existing or planned distance learning programmes. The core team of 24x7 Learning has over 100 years of industry experience in implementing enterprise solutions and has been behind some of the most successful eLearning implementations in India. 24x7 Learning’s business solutions have delivered bottom-line benefits to companies including Wipro, Samsung, MindTree, Bharti Airtel, Xansa, Aditya Birla, Accenture, Convergys, Philips, 24/7 Customer, Citigroup, Murugappa Group etc. More information on eLearning, the company and its value proposition is accessible at www.24x7learning.com.