The Faculty of Mechanical Engineering of the Brno University of Technology is gradually changing the method of making study materials available. Since September 2024, the use of the BUT Digital Library has expanded significantly. What does this platform offer and how can learners and teachers use it to the fullest?

As Vice-Dean Jana Hoderová explains, digitising teaching materials is part of a broader strategy to improve the quality of studies. "In addition to the printed textbooks, which are still available in the Campus Library or on the Strojobchod counter, we are also gradually making e-versions available in the BUT Digital Library. The priority is to gradually cover the first year of study, but we also have materials available for preparatory courses in mathematics and physics for applicants, for example," says Hoderová.

Currently, first-year students can download, among others, the e-textbook Mathematics I by Professor Franců in the Digital Library. Students of the second year will find titles such as Solid Mechanics: Statics or Solid Mechanics: Structural Analysis Tasks.

Why use the Digital Library?

"Until now, the institutes often had textbooks uploaded on their websites, so they were accessible only to those who knew about them. The reach of the Digital Library is much greater and thus a wider range of users can benefit from quality text because textbooks of a specific course can be interesting and useful also for people from another department or faculty. Materials in the Digital Library are available via a permanent link and can be easily searched through the Primo search system, which is a single place allowing searching in all BUT e-resources as well as in the catalogues of BUT libraries," explains Blanka Vintrová, Head of the FME Campus Library.

According to Vintrová, the advantages of the electronic form are obvious. "Instant access from anywhere and free of charge, the ability to search in text, easier content updates and, of course, lower costs for the Faculty compared to printed versions," adds Vintrová, adding that students' preferences naturally vary and some still prefer to reach for the printed version. "They can either purchase them in Strojobchod, to borrow in the library, or they can also print the e-textbooks with us," assures Vintrová.

Since September 2024, 10 titles from FME have already been placed in the BUT Digital Library, where the most popular of them – Mathematics I – boasts over 500 readings and downloads.

For authors: How to get involved?

The inclusion of new titles in the Digital Library is possible after approval from the FME Editorial Board. The authors do not upload materials to the library themselves, but in cooperation with the library.

"It is a question of prestige for each institute how it covers its core subjects with literature. If the teacher has a quality text, he or she should consider making it available to the general academic community," adds Vice-Dean Hoderová, adding that even older textbooks without the original source file can be digitized by scanning. However, it is ideal to work with editable source text, which allows for possible updates.