The process of digitization in libraries of Pakistan is at a very initial stage. Pakistan is lagging behind developed countries due to many reasons such as: funding, computer illiteracy and expertise in digitization. However, some institutions like the Higher Education Commission, the Punjab University Library, the National Library of Pakistan and some private organizations are doing digitization. In social sciences, digitization is being done to preserve the cultural heritage of manuscripts and other old literature related to the history and culture of Pakistan. There are nearly 0.15 million manuscripts in Pakistan in Arabic, Persian, Urdu, Pashto, Sindhi and Sanskrit languages. Some are available in libraries of Pakistan while others are in Personal collections. Bibliographies of most of these manuscripts are available. Hence, there is a great need and opportunity to digitize this literature. This paper presents a status report on digitization initiatives in Pakistan.
Muhammad, Ahsan. "Digital Divide and Digitization Initiatives in Pakistan: A Bird's Eye View." In Rethinking Electronic Publishing: Innovation in Communication Paradigms and Technologies - Proceedings of the 13th International Conference on Electronic Publishing, 515-520. ELPUB. Milano, Italy, 2009.