Awareness, Usability, and Challenges of the National Digital Library of India (NDLI): Evidence from Engineering Colleges in the Mumbai Region

Abstract

National Digital Library of India (NDLI) has emerged as a significant digital initiative that offers. teaching facilities to every citizen in India. This research examines the engineering college students. and faculty members of the Mumbai Region know and apply NDLI and confront its operational. difficulties. Four hundred and thirty-nine respondents (377 students and 62 faculty) took part.in the study. The researchers examined non-normal data distribution through descriptive statistics and non-parametric testing methods, which included the Wilcoxon Signed-Rank Test and the Mann-Whitney U Test. The results show that users of NDLI find high levels of satisfaction because they can access academic content that meets their needs. The effect size analysis shows that NDLI usage has a strong effect on learning outcomes. The users face three main obstacles, which include their lack of knowledge about advanced functions, difficulties in navigating the system, and restrictions on access. The study identifies specific training requirements that must be met through the development of better interface designs to enhance user experience. The research establishes that NDLI serves as an essential resource for digital educational development in engineering programs, while it offers multiple opportunities to enhance India's knowledge development system.