KARACHI, March 24: A world-class science information centre has recently been made functional as part of the famous HEJ Research Institute of Chemistry on the University of Karachi campus.

The National Science Information Centre, named after Latif Ebrahim Jamal, who donated a large amount of money for the establishment of HEJ institute as well in the 1970’s, will be a source to unlimited and real-time major international science databases and full-text science journals with high speed internet connectivity and place for visiting digitalized scientific books and literature.

Briefing newsmen on Friday, the Acting Director of HEJ Institute, Dr M Iqbal Choudhary, said the Latif Ebrahim Jamal National Science Information Centre would be a unique hub equipped with state-of-the-art communication facilities.

Research students and faculty members of KU as well as people from outside the campus would be allowed to retrieve, interpret and convert the information into knowledge in several frontier areas of science and technology.

When developed and fully functional, the project would be one of the largest paperless science library or information dissemination centres of the world. The centre is the first of its kind in our part of the world, he noted.

He said a three storey building for the science centre, likely to cost around Rs20 million, had been donated by the Hussain Ebrahim Jamal Foundation. While, funding for different facilities was being made by the Higher Education Commission, under a project, estimated to cost about Rs20 million, submitted by the HEJ institute.

Dr Iqbal said the science information centre, which was being given finishing touches, was located opposite the HEJ complex on a plot measuring 2,500 sq-yards.

Besides facilities for video conferencing, meetings, laboratory works, software library, laser and line printing, high resolution scanning, the centre will be offering 100 terminals for online simultaneous access to over 10,000 scientific journals, he added, saying that experts are gradually being appointed for various purposes, while a core of volunteers would also be developed to help visitors utilize the facilities.

He said the availability of updated scientific information was absolutely crucial for the success of Pakistani scholars and scientists of the country.

Though the centre is to witness a formal inauguration soon, works pertaining to digitalization of science books has already started.

“We are planning to have organized and guided visits of students from different educational institutions to the centre in the future,” he added.