Our Vision
To build a futuristic, fully integrated and accessible library network across Bangladesh that fosters lifelong learning, digital literacy, and equitable access to high-quality printed and digital information resources.
An initiative of Digital Solution Bangladesh
Modern Library Initiative (MLI)
Transforming libraries through smart infrastructure, advanced systems, strategic collection advisory and professional consultancy — so that every academic, public, school and specialized library in Bangladesh can grow into a dynamic, tech-enabled knowledge hub.
- Collection Advisory Print & digital, vendor-neutral
- Resource Selection Books & journals, print & online
- Smart Infrastructure Spaces built for readers
- Koha · DSpace · RFID Open-source systems
- Training & Advocacy Capacity that stays
A Foundation Built for Libraries
MLI is a specialized foundation established as a sister concern of Digital Solution Bangladesh (DSB), dedicated to revolutionizing the country's information ecosystem.
The Modern Library Initiative supports academic, public, school and specialized libraries across Bangladesh. By bridging physical space design, collection management, cutting-edge software solutions, advocacy and professional training, MLI empowers libraries to evolve into dynamic, tech-enabled knowledge hubs for the modern era.
The initiative sits deliberately between two worlds. On one side is the engineering capability of Digital Solution Bangladesh — deployment, integration and long-term system support. On the other is professional library practice: what a collection should contain, how it should be described, and who it is meant to reach. MLI exists so that neither side decides alone.
- Academic & university libraries
- Public & community libraries
- School & college libraries
- Specialized & research libraries
- Printed and digital collections alike
- Independent of publishers and vendors
Vision & Mission
One long-term ambition, carried out through four standing lines of work.
Our Mission
To modernize how libraries select, hold, describe and share knowledge — through expert collection advisory, smarter physical infrastructure, open-source and custom software, and a sustained investment in the people who run these institutions.
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01
Collection Development & Advisory
Expert guidance on selecting, evaluating and curating high-value printed resources — books, physical journals, archival materials — and digital assets such as e-books, e-journals and subscription databases.
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02
Modernize Infrastructure
Helping libraries design smart physical spaces, ergonomic reading environments and automated inventory systems that match how readers actually use the building.
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03
Implement Open-Source & Custom Software
Deploying robust digital systems — Koha ILMS, DSpace digital repositories and RFID technologies — tailored to the needs of each local institution rather than to a vendor's product roadmap.
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04
Drive Advocacy & Professional Growth
Promoting nationwide library modernization policies, resource sharing between institutions, and continuous training programmes for library staff.
What MLI Actually Does
Four services that take an institution from an uneven collection and ageing systems to a library its readers can rely on.
Resource & Content Selection Consultancy
Assisting libraries in building balanced collections by assessing institutional needs, evaluating publisher catalogues, vetting e-resource subscriptions, and guiding cost-effective acquisitions in both physical and digital formats.
Technical Consultancy
Guiding institutions through digital transformation, database management, cloud migration and cataloguing standards — with a written plan the library's own team can follow and audit.
Capacity Building
Hands-on training programmes for librarians in collection management, digital archiving, software operations and modern service delivery, so capability stays inside the institution.
Resource Optimization
Helping underfunded public and private libraries adopt cost-effective software solutions and prioritize the collection material that matters most within a realistic budget.
Four Kinds of Library, One Standard of Care
The platforms are shared; the collection policy, access rules and service priorities are not.
Academic libraries
Curriculum-aligned acquisitions, research databases, institutional repositories and reference services for universities and colleges.
Public libraries
Community reading rooms, digital literacy programmes and open access for readers of every age and background.
School libraries
Age-appropriate collections, simple circulation systems and reading habits built early, within school-scale budgets.
Specialized libraries
Research institutes, media archives, professional bodies and corporate collections with narrow, deep subject needs.
Operational Policies
Five standing commitments. They decide what MLI will recommend long before any particular institution asks.
- Resource Selection & Unbiased Curation
- MLI maintains complete independence from publishers and vendors. Advisory services for print and e-resource selection prioritize institutional curriculum alignment, research relevance, budget efficiency and collection quality over commercial bias.
- Technology & Open Standards
- Open-source software such as Koha and DSpace, together with open-access research repositories, is prioritized to ensure scalable, vendor-neutral deployments.
- Accessibility & Inclusion
- All recommended software interfaces, digital resources and physical layouts must comply with universal design principles, so that users with disabilities are served equally.
- Data Privacy & Security
- MLI adheres strictly to data protection standards, ensuring patron reading histories, research database access logs and institutional records remain secure.
- Sustainability & Governance
- The initiative operates under clear governance standards, reinvesting consultancy revenue and grants directly into local community library development initiatives.
Systems
- Koha ILMS
- DSpace
- RFID
- OPAC
Collections
- Printed
- E-books
- E-journals
- Databases
Practice
- Cataloguing
- Digital archiving
- Advocacy
- Training
Advice you can trust because of what we refuse
MLI takes no commission, referral fee or incentive from any publisher, aggregator or software vendor. That independence is the whole product: when we recommend a title list, a database subscription or a platform, the only interest represented is the library's and its readers'.
Planning your library's next decade?
Tell us what you hold, who you serve and what your budget allows. MLI will come back with an assessment approach, a collection and technology direction, and an honest view of the effort involved — no obligation, and nothing sold on commission.