Library Serves as Source of Knowledge for Students and Faculty
Abu Dhabi-UAE: 02 October, 2012 – Masdar Institute of Science and Technology, an independent, research-driven graduate-level university focused on advanced energy and sustainable technologies, today announced the library has launched a highly functional user-friendly website for the benefit of the research students and faculty in Abu Dhabi.
The website http://library.masdar.ac.ae/ offers a wide range of services and resources including research help, study spaces, print and electronic books/journals and all other academic-related services.
The easy-to-browse website incorporates several convenient features such as resources, services, e-forms and news (new arrivals). Clicking on these tabs leads the user to the intended web page, facilitating the accessing of information that is suitable to students and faculty.
Dr. Abdullah Al Hefeiti, Director of Library, Masdar Institute, said: “Our library is equipped with advanced information and communication technology-based facilities to offer excellent Internet connectivity and efficient online access to rich e-resources and digital content. We also remain committed to obtaining access to rarely requested documents from suppliers and through inter-library document delivery. Our objective, as directed by the UAE’s leadership, is to empower students and faculty by providing them the best intellectual e-resources and e-services that would help improve their academic performance.”
Being the hub for knowledge at Masdar Institute and the students’ source for academic excellence in Abu Dhabi, the library is also termed as the ‘Knowledge Center’. It holds a hybrid collection of printed course-related book materials, and other e-resources such as e-journals, e-books, electronic theses & dissertations (ETD), technical reports of research organizations, and bibliographic databases.
Representing such a knowledge center, the website incorporates tabs such as Resources, Services and E-forms that provide key services to students and faculty. The ‘E-forms’ serve as channel for accessing services such as ‘Ask a Librarian’, ‘Document Delivery’, ‘Library Instruction Request’, ‘Request a Title for Purchase’, ‘Request a Title for Course Reserve’, as well as the feedback area ‘Comment and Suggestions’.
In order to enhance its offerings, Masdar Institute library recently announced the availability of electronic information ‘resources trials’, accessible through its website. These include Frost & Sullivan that provides in-depth research coverage of several industries, Oxford Journals Database, a division of Oxford University Press at Oxford University that offers over 230 academic and research journals covering a broad range of subject areas, Cambridge University Press E-journals, a major academic and educational publisher, Taylor and Francis that publishes over 1,600 scholarly journals and offers books through the CRCNetBASE e-book platform, as well as Engineering Village, a web-based discovery platform that has become the globally accepted source of choice for engineers, engineering students, researchers and information professionals.
Other services the library offers include the catalog, one-search, Electronic Information Resources and E-forms.
To further raise the level of its services, the Masdar Institute Library website provides an update tab that shows the newly arrived resources, as well as e-services to facilitate the requests and enquiries process. The library has also provided a guide that simplifies navigation and effective use of the resources and services.
Equipped with advanced information and communication technology-based facilities, the Masdar Institute Library offers excellent Internet connectivity and efficient online access to rich e-resources and digital contents. The services and collections at the library are entirely dedicated to support the Masdar Institute community of faculty, researchers, students, and administrators. The library’s collections and facilities are also selectively offered to external researchers and postgraduates.
Established as an on-going collaboration with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Masdar Institute integrates theory and practice to incubate a culture of innovation and entrepreneurship, working to develop the critical thinkers and leaders of tomorrow. With its world-class faculty and top-tier students, the Institute is committed to finding solutions to the challenges of clean energy and climate change through education and research.
