KOTA SAMARAHAN: Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (Unimas) has achieved a milestone by becoming the first university in Sarawak to introduce a cutting-edge digital library (e-Library).
Yayasan Bank Rakyat (YBR), through the Serambi Ilmu Rakyat (SIR) Digital Library, also known as SIR Corner, has contributed a set of equipment to the Tun Abdul Rahman Ya’kub Library (PeTARY).
This initiative aims to help all Unimas students access current information and scientific reading materials in a digital format.
YBR Board of Trustees member Rosaline Neging said the focus on enhancing the quality of education should be on the university learning environment with ample and easily accessible information sources.
“As a result, YBR has partnered with Unimas to establish a digital reading corner named SIR Corner, marking Unimas the first university in Sarawak to introduce such a reading space,” she said in a statement.
During the Serambi Ilmu Rakyat (SIR) Corner inauguration and early education assistance handover ceremony at Unimas recently, YBR committed an annual budget of RM350,000 for the subscription and digital content database of SIR materials from the supplier.
This endeavour aims to encourage the reading habit among students and the community, transcending time and location constraints.
During the event, YBR also provided Early Education Assistance (Bantuan Awal Pengajian or BAP) by disbursing RM100,000 to B40 students at Unimas to facilitate their academic pursuits.
“It is anticipated that this financial incentive will, to some extent, assist students in continuing their study sessions and indirectly provide encouragement and motivation for them to achieve excellent results,” said Rosaline.
“Each student receiving financial incentives today can utilise the assistance to purchase learning tools that are still insufficient.”
This assistance programme targeted 100 students from Semesters 1 to 3 at the diploma and bachelor’s degree levels, allocating RM1,000 each to individuals from B40 families.
The selection process was conducted by the Student Affairs Department of Unimas.
Also present were Unimas Deputy Vice Chancellor (Leadership and Development) Prof Datuk Dr Mohd Fadzil Abdul Rahman; PeTARY Director Levas Mejus; YBR Chief Executive Officer Syaiful Rizal Abdul Ghani; Head of Operations Division Mohd Mukhti Abd Rahman; YBR Corporate Administration Division Chief Khairul Na’im Arifin; Corporate Communication Department Manager Mohamad Ghazali Zainal Abidin; and SIR Corner Department Manager YBR Zatul Hasanah Mohd Radzhuan.
