JSMU’s Prof. Shahid Rasul Memorial Library expands smart learning facilities

KARACHI: The Prof. Shahid Rasul Memorial Library at Jinnah Sindh Medical University (JSMU) is expanding its digital and smart learning facilities, giving students and faculty access to a growing combination of physical books, digitally catalogued resources, online journals, smart security systems and dedicated spaces for individual and group study.

At the heart of the library is a collection of more than 10,000 physical books, complemented by a growing digital catalogue and access to online academic resources. Around 5,000 books have already been digitally catalogued through the KOHA Library Information System, while the remaining collection is currently being processed.

The library's expanding digital infrastructure is intended to make academic resources more accessible while improving the efficiency of library services for the university's medical and health sciences community.

Prof. Shahid Rasul Memorial Library builds its digital collection
The Prof. Shahid Rasul Memorial Library has adopted KOHA to digitally catalogue its books and support library management.

Through the system, around 5,000 books from the physical collection have so far been digitally catalogued. KOHA also facilitates digital book circulation across JSMU libraries, helping make library resources more accessible and efficient for users.

The library has also integrated an Online Public Access Catalogue (OPAC), adding a digital search facility to its library services.

However, the transformation is still underway. JSMU states that the digitisation process is currently in its initial phase, with the remaining books still being processed.

More than 2,000 digital journals available
The Prof. Shahid Rasul Memorial Library also connects students and faculty with the Higher Education Commission (HEC) Digital Library, providing access to more than 2,000 digital journals.

These digital academic resources complement the library's physical collection and provide users with additional material for academic study and research.

The university's digital library facilities collectively provide more than 150 seats, offering students dedicated spaces to access digital resources and conduct research.

Free Wi-Fi is also available, supporting students who need to use online academic resources as part of their studies and research.

Smart systems reshape the library experience
The library's modernisation extends beyond cataloguing and digital resources.

The Prof. Shahid Rasul Memorial Library has introduced a biometric and facial attendance monitoring system for student check-in and check-out.

An RFID-enabled security system has also been installed, adding technology-based security to the library environment.

For continuous improvement of services, the library has introduced a digital feedback system through Google Forms, allowing users to provide feedback on their experience and services.

Together, these systems are adding technology-driven features to the day-to-day operation of the library.

A space for discussion, reference and clinical learning
The library also provides facilities designed around different forms of student learning.

A separate discussion room at the Central Library is available for group study, with students able to reserve the space through an online form.

The libraries also contain more than 100 digital atlas books and over 50 dictionaries, giving students additional reference resources to support their academic and clinical studies.

The combination of physical books, digital atlases, dictionaries and online journals gives students access to resources through different formats rather than relying exclusively on conventional printed material.

Library team briefs academic departments
As the new systems and facilities were introduced, the library team briefed Heads of Departments and departmental staff about the available services and newly implemented technologies.

The initiative is intended to familiarise academic and departmental staff with the evolving library system and the resources available to students and faculty.

SAP integration planned as digitisation progresses
While the Prof. Shahid Rasul Memorial Library already has several digital and smart facilities in operation, JSMU's wider library digitisation project is still developing.

The university plans to progressively integrate all its libraries with SAP once the project is completed, further strengthening centralised and technology-driven library management.

For now, the Prof. Shahid Rasul Memorial Library is fully operational for students and faculty, with its traditional physical collection operating alongside an expanding digital infrastructure.

With more than 10,000 physical books, thousands of digitally catalogued titles, access to more than 2,000 digital journals, dedicated study and discussion facilities, and technology-enabled access and security systems, the library is evolving from a conventional repository of books into a broader academic learning and research resource for the JSMU community.

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