Now Browse Through World’s First Bengali E-Library

on Jul 15, 2022

World’s First Bengali E-Library | Ketab-e.net

The creation of an online Bengali e-book library by two technocrats and a digital media specialist is being hailed as the "truest sense of the term” first of its kind. According to the project's creators, mobile phones and tablets can read borrowed e-books when they are in epub format rather than the widely available PDF format.

Classics, children's books, and unconventional publications will all be available in the first 50 titles of the "Ketab-e.net" library application, all of which are copyrighted resources.

This library, which will formally open on July 17, will also contain back issues of several important small magazines that are no longer available, according to Pinaki Mitra, one of the three directors of the business providing the service to bookworms.

"Most people assume that by "e-books" they mean PDF files. There are websites that offer a large number of Bengali books in PDF format. They identify themselves as e-book libraries. We only found one website that provides some books in alternative formats (not epub). However, the issue is that many of these websites break copyright laws "It was Mitra.

He asserted that it is the first Bengali e-book library in the world in the true sense of the word. A subscriber's membership will initially be based on a token monthly subscription charge, and they will be able to read five books at once.

"Currently, Bengalis living outside of West Bengal and India are our primary target demographic. It is challenging for those who live overseas to obtain books. Physical books must be transported from Kolkata, which consumes time and money "According to Debajyoti Bhattacharya, a director at Bestread Publications and Digital Services Private Limited.

According to him, this technique is perhaps the only way to ensure that future generations continue the tradition of reading Bengali literature. "I had the thought after having trouble finding a Bengali primer for my kid. The past few years have seen us residing in Sweden. I discovered that a lot of people had experienced similar difficulties. Bengali is not a top priority language for the industry's digital juggernauts "Mitra remarked.

A fraction of the collection at the local library in Sweden that is administered by the municipality and to which Mitra belongs has been digitally preserved. Epub is a better reading experience than PDF. "You cannot get Bengali classics or novels by contemporary authors in a way that will make reading enjoyable. When people expressed interest in the idea of a Bengali e-book library, we began debating among ourselves and ultimately decided to move forward "he stated.

They began working on the project in August of last year and discovered that, in addition to creating a workable business model, technology is the key. This includes replicating old books in digital form and protecting the books from dishonest elements. "The reader's gadget will never contain any borrowed books; they will always be online. Page captures won't be allowed for readers. Professional-level tests to verify application hacking have been performed, and those will be repeated on a regular basis "added Bhattacharya, who resides in the UK at the moment.

Although it might take a week or more for individuals to have access to the library on the android platform, the library's android application will be formally launched during an event in Kolkata on July 17. It will soon be accessible on iOS as well. "Even after the launch, we'll keep improving the reading experience and adding new features. However, at the moment, our priority is uploading more books, "explained Mitra.

Dr. Nandini Ghosh, a banker, and bookworm who adores Bengali literature, applauded the initiative and added that while she has no trouble reading PDF files, she finds that reading epub is a much better experience. "The selection of books they are going to offer will determine their level of success. From the level of the payment gateway for the borrowers to copyright concerns for the publishers or authors, the technical components must be very solid "Ghosh, whose occupation has kept her away from West Bengal for the last 25 years or so, stated that.

There may be a platform for online discussion among readers regarding the books they are currently reading. And it would be fantastic if readers and authors could virtually interact, perhaps once a month or so. Ghosh has made these recommendations to the "Ketab-e.net" authorities. The website "Ketab-e.net" also serves as a venue for ebook sales. "Ebooks can be created from hard or soft copies thanks to technology. There are still alternative ways to make money. We're collaborating with other publishers on this, "said Mitra.