National Digital Library of India (NDLI) is now open to all to enable study at home. It is free of cost study material. In view of the pause put by COVID-19 on the academic life of the students, this step has been taken. The website of the National Digital Library of India reads “COVID-19 Lockdown not to affect your study. Study through National Digital Library of India (NDLI).”
NDLI is a virtual world full of books and resources in digitalised formats. NDLI is easy to use and any resources can be accessed here with a single search option. NDLI is the Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) sponsored and is hosted by IIT Kharagpur at ndl.iitkgp.ac.in.
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National Digital Library of India (NLDI)
National Mission on Education through Information and Communication Technology (NMEICT) was initiated by MHRD, and under this scheme NLDI was setup. The library is beneficial to students of all levels, teachers, researchers, librarians, library users, professionals, differently-abled users, and all other lifelong learners.
Access Your Required Resource at National Digital Library of India
Here we have given the direct link for resources that are available at NDLI for students of different levels:
NDLI Resources for School Students
The following resources are available at https://ndl.iitkgp.ac.in/homestudy/school.
- Video Lectures
- JEE Preparation Materials
- Simulations, Activity, Self Assessments and various Study Materials
- Books from CBSE, NCERT and Other State Boards
NDLI Resources for UG Engineering Students
The following resources are available at https://ndl.iitkgp.ac.in/homestudy/ug_eng
- Common Subjects
- Aerospace Engineering
- Architecture
- Chemical Engineering
- Civil Engineering
- Computer Science & Engineering
- Electrical Engineering
- Electronics & Communication Engineering
- Mechanical Engineering
- Mining Engineering
- Ocean Engineering
- Textile Engineering
NDLI Resources for UG Science Students
The following resources are available at https://ndl.iitkgp.ac.in/homestudy/ug_science.
- Common Subjects
- Agriculture
- Atmospheric Science
- Biology & Biotechnology
- Chemistry & Biochemistry
- Computer Science
- Environmental Science
- Mathematics
- Nanotechnology
- Physics
NDLI Resources for Other UG Students
The following resources are available at https://ndl.iitkgp.ac.in/homestudy/ug_other.
- Humanities & Social Sciences
NDLI Resources for Language Students
The following resources are available at https://ndl.iitkgp.ac.in/homestudy/lang.
- History of English Literature
- Indian Classical Literature
- European Classical Literature
- Greek Tragedy
- Indian Writing in English
- British Poetry and Drama: 14th-18th century
- Pre-Modern and Modern Literature
- Women’s Literature
- American Literature
- Literary Theory and Criticism
NDLI Resources for Management Students
The following resources are available at https://ndl.iitkgp.ac.in/homestudy/management.
- Video Lectures, Questions & Solutions
NDLI Resources for Law Students
The following resources are available at https://ndl.iitkgp.ac.in/homestudy/law.
- Act, Judgement, Article etc.
NDLI @ Corona Outbreak
To help students to continue their studies in COVID-19 pandemic here is what has been introduced:
- Video Lectures
- JEE Preparation Materials
- Simulations, Activity, Self Assessments and various Study Materials
- Books from CBSE, NCERT and Other State Boards
- Preparation and study materials for aspirants of engineering, science, law, language, management, law, and other disciplines.

How to Use National Digital Library of India?
In the National Digital Library of India, one can search and browse other resources apart from accessing the resources curated especially for students in COVID-19 period. Here is how to do so:
#1. Accessing the resources for school students and college students in COVID-19 period
Step 1: First visit the website for NDLI which is ndl.iitkgp.ac.in or here is the direct link – NDLI
Step 2: Now the below window opens with a pop up that says “[email protected] Outbreak” and there are a few instructions. Read all of them and click on the following links:
- School students, click on “school” link
- College students may click on links 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, or as per their discipline of study.

Step 3: On the next page the list of resources available appears as shown in the image below. Click on the link that is needed to access them.

Step 4: You can view the resource next, or can download them in the system for use.
#2. Browsing any other resource
To explore more abundance resouces at NDLI, here is what you can do:
Step 1: Click on the “browse” button as given on the home page of NDLI.

Step 2: One can browse the resources needed using the following filters:
- By type
- By subject
- by source
- by learning resource
- By type includes, searching content that is categorized as text, video, image, audio, presentation, simulation, application, and animation, as shown below, Click on the type needed to access the resources.

- By type includes, searching content that is refined by subject and its sub levels, as shown in the image below:

- By source means from which sources the resources has been curated.

- By learning resource means searching on the basis of type of resource:

#3. Searching Resources in NDLI
Step 1: On the homepage of NDLI, locate the search bar as shown in the image below. One can also select the language of resource search out of English / Hindi / Bangla.

Step 2: Search the resource needed and the below window opens with following indications:
- Search results appear here.
- Refine the result using the filters available here.
- Refine the result by content type using the options here.

Step 3: After refinement, click on the link for the resource needed to access it.
Types of Access in National Digital Library of India
Now while browsing through the National Digital Library of India, one may notice that not all resources are accessible. Sure the materials for students in COVID-19 are free and accessible without registration and login. However, a few materials are restricted. Here are the type of accesses:
Icon | Access type | How to access |
![]() | Open to all | No special requirement |
![]() | NDLI members | Register and Login |
![]() | Subscribed | Payment of required amount |
![]() | Restricted | Authorization by Source Authority |
![]() | Authorised | Requires authorization by Source |
Features of National Digital Library of India
Availability of materials for all levels
The National Digital Library of India hosts materials ranging from primary to post graduation level students.
Domains
In the National Digital Library of India, one can browse through resources from diverse domains like technology, science, humanities, agriculture, and others. Some of the domains are:
- Language
- Technology
- Natural sciences and mathematics
- Fine and Decorative arts
- Literature and rhetoric
- Computer science, information and general works
- Philosophy and psychology
- History and geography
- Religion
- Social science
Types of resources
NDLI hosts 60+ types of learning resources like books, thesis, article, audio lectures, video lectures, manuscripts, question papers, web courses, annual reports, solutions, data set, reports, technical reports, manual, album, monograph, technical manual, law judgements etc.
Diverse
National Digital Library of India is as diverse as our nation. The library in digital form has 10 million items that have been authored by 3 lakh authors.
Languages
Not only English and Hindi, but the National Digital Library of India also has resources in more than 70 languages.
Curation of resources
National Digital Library of India is a big sea of resource that integrates contents from different Indian institutional repositories. Some of the featured repositories are:
- Krishikosh
- INFLIBNET
- LibriVox
- NPTEL
- NCERT
Want to Register at National Digital Library of India, Here is How to Do it?
To get a better experience of NDLI and to exhaust it to the fullest we suggest registering at the portal. Here is how one can register:
Step 1: On the home page of NDLI, click on the “register” button as shown in the image below:

Step 2: Now on the next page, one have to enter the below given details:
- Full name
- email address
- Password of choice
- Date of birth
- Gender
- State
- City
- Educational role
- Language interface of Library
- Institute name
- Check declaration

Step 3: On submission of details registration successful message is displayed and a verification link is sent to the registered email id. Please click on the link on the mail to complete the registration process.

Step 4: On clicking the verification link in the mails the following window pops, click on the proceed to login button to complete the process.

Step 5: The login window opens. here enter the registered email id and the password yup chose while registering. Login and access the amazing world of NDLI.

Registration Fee for National Digital Library of India
None. The registration is free of charge. The membership is also lifelong. However, there are certain resources that require purchase. The resources marked as ” Subscribed” need payment of a certain amount to access, as shown in the image below:

How is the National Digital Library of India Different from Other Digital Libraries?
Here are some factors that make NDLI different from any other digital library:
- It is a a single window search facility.
- It is an one-stop shop for all digital resources.
- Information can be personalised based on the education level, choice of language, difficulty level, media of content and more.
- Customisation of the resources search using numerous filters might not be available in any other digital library.

About National Digital Library of India
To develop a framework of a virtual repository of learning resources, MHRD instituted the National Digital Library of India. It is the part of the National Mission on Education through Information and Communication Technology (NMEICT). The objective of NDL is to help the users from all domains to find out the right resource with the least effort and in minimum time.

NDL India is capable to host content of any language and provides interface support for all major Indian languages. Students from all walk of life can access NDLI. Other than the students the library is also friendly to the It is being arranged to provide support for all academic levels including researchers and life-long learners form all disciplines.
NDLI is also accessible in mobile via the National Digital Library of India available in Google Playstore and IOS App Store.
National Digital Library of India FAQs
Who all can be benefited by NDL India?
Where is National Digital Library of India?
Is National Digital Library free?
Who launched national digital library?
What is the meaning of digital library?
There are so many Digital Libraries. How is NDL India different from them?
website: ndl.iitkgp.ac.in
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