Free access to 160,000 e-books as Virtual Science Library goes live in Oman

Muscat: Residents in Oman will be able to access a world of information thanks to The Research Council (TRC).
“More than 160,000 e-books including 4,600 in Arabic, and 24,442 full text journals will be free to access on the Masader Online library,” TRC announced.
Masader Oman’s Virtual Science Library has become officially operational after being reviewed by TRC Board. “On the occasion of the launch of Masader, online sources will be free from September 10 to October 10,” TRC said.
Masader is subscribed to content provider EBSCO Information Services. It also has active subscription to 19 databases in several disciplines. It contains search engines, such as Academic Search Ultimate, and Arab World Research, and magazines in 31 different fields.
“After the end of the free period, access to Masader sources will only be permitted for institutions who are subscribed to Masader library services,” Sheikha Almanji, project coordinator, told the Times of Oman.
“Till now, we have five universities subscribed to Masader, which are: Nizwa University, Al Sharqiyah University, GUTech, International Maritime College Oman and Dhofar University,” Almanji added. There was a clear case for creating a centralised national resource that could give all academics, researchers, and students access to conduct global research.
“Masader will provide seamless and affordable access to a wealth of global research materials. Masader will be available to universities, technical colleges, and other Oman-based institutions engaged in education and scientific research,” Dr. Hilal bin Ali Al Hinai, secretary general of TRC, said in meeting.
Interested academics, university students, and other public and private sector researchers can now visit Masader’s website at www.masader.om to know more about what it actually offers.