Released on = March 6, 2007, 1:29 am

Press Release Author = 24x7 Learning

Industry = Education

Press Release Summary = Bangalore-based 24x7 Learning - the largest eLearning
implementation company in India today announced that it has successfully implemented
an Online Virtual Library at the prestigious Birla Institute of Technology and
Science (BITS Pilani) as a part of its eLearning initiatives with large academic
institutions. Books24x7 from 24x7 Learning provides an Online Virtual Library with
access to the complete IT, Business, Engineering and Finance text books in a
searchable format, which complements the courses covered in the syllabus as well as
other industry relevant courses. The virtual Library will eventually benefit 10000+
students and faculty of BITS, Pilani - both on campus and off campus.

Press Release Body = Bangalore-based 24x7 Learning - the largest eLearning
implementation company in India today announced that it has successfully implemented
an Online Virtual Library at the prestigious Birla Institute of Technology and
Science (BITS Pilani) as a part of its eLearning initiatives with large academic
institutions. Books24x7 from 24x7 Learning provides an Online Virtual Library with
access to the complete IT, Business, Engineering and Finance text books in a
searchable format, which complements the courses covered in the syllabus as well as
other industry relevant courses. The virtual Library will eventually benefit 10000+
students and faculty of BITS, Pilani - both on campus and off campus.

BITS Pilani is a leading technological university currently offering Master\'s degree
and Doctoral programmes in various areas of Science, Humanities, Management and
various branches of Engineering and Technology. These programs were initially
offered to only on-campus students. However, in the past decade it has had
significant experience in work intergraded pedagogy and instructional design. BITS
felt the need for an online virtual library for its off-campus students and faculty
accessing the courses through their Virtual University. In strategic partnership
with 24x7Learning, BITS Pilani is now offering Books24x7 as 'Full Text Online Book
Access Facility' to their off-campus students. The solution works as an Online
Virtual Library for these students providing a wide and deep variety of study
material for their programmes. With new books added almost every day, this offers
the most up-to-date information and resources. The services are offered to their
students of 'Off-campus Work-Integrated Learning Programmes'.

"Work-integrated learning and e-learning at BITS Pilani are not just treated as
philosophies and technologies respectively but also as pedagogical drivers," said
Dr. Prof. B.R. Natarajan, Dean - Work-Integrated Learning Programmes, BITS, Pilani.
"Digital libraries in all their manifestations are bound to influence the current
and future generations of on-campus as well as off-campus learners of BITS Pilani."
he added.

This implementation puts BITS in the august company of such leading institutions
worldwide like MIT, Stanford University, Cornell, Malaysia Open University,
University of Florida etc. which also provide online facilities to their students
and faculty.

Commenting on the initiative, Dr. Rahul Banerjee, Chief, Software Development and
Educational Technology Unit, BITS Pilani said, "In addition to the syllabus and
courses offered in our campuses across India, we felt the need to provide access to
additional Referenceware as a value addition to our students and faculty off campus
as well as on campus."

The Virtual Library will co-exist and complement the existing large on-campus
library that BITS Pilani has. \"Our readers are increasingly getting used to
electronic resources for their study and research. Books24x7 effectively supplements
our campus library since it provides a large collection of texts which are not only
up-to-date but also can be consulted round the clock and even from remote locations
where our students and faculty go for practice school work" adds Dr Ishwara Bhat,
Librarian, BITS Pilani.

Books24x7 from 24x7 Learning is the largest online books resource offering
unrestricted access to the complete unabridged contents of thousands of latest and
best business and technology books from top-notch publishers like Apress, IBM
Redbooks, McGraw-Hill, Microsoft Press, MIT Press, Osborne, Sybex, Syngress, Wiley,
Amacom, ASTD, Berrett-Koehler, Harvard Business School Press, Jossey-Bass, Oxford
University, Wiley and more. Books24x7 is a virtual library with access to the
complete text books and reference material for courses covered in the syllabus as
well as outside it. All off-campus students, faculty members and select on-campus
students of BITS Pilani will be given access to the Virtual Library.

According to Anil Chhikara, Founder & President 24x7 Learning, "The successful
implementation at one of India's leading and respected technology education
institutions is a reiteration of the blended learning concept that we have pioneered
in India. The virtual library and underlying content will supplement regular classes
for students besides making eLearning available to faculty, staff and alumni of BITS
Pilani to promote ongoing personal and professional development."

24x7 Learning, with a deep understanding of and expertise in technology-based
training initiatives, is among the leading eLearning implementation companies
helping higher educational institutes harness the potential of eLearning for their
existing or planned distance learning programmes. The core team of 24x7 Learning has
over 100 years of industry experience in implementing enterprise solutions and has
been behind some of the most successful eLearning implementations in India. 24x7
Learning's business solutions have delivered bottom-line benefits to companies
including Wipro, Samsung, MindTree, Bharti Airtel, Xansa, Aditya Birla, Accenture,
Convergys, Philips, 24/7 Customer, Citigroup, Murugappa Group etc. More information
on eLearning, the company and its value proposition is accessible at
www.24x7learning.com.



Web Site = http://24x7learning.com

Contact Details = Rajam Sarath
PRHUB