KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 12 (Bernama) -- More than a century's worth of knowledge and information on tropical forest biodiversity and science from the Forest Research Institute Malaysia (FRIM) is now accessible worldwide through its digital repository, the FRIM Research Depository (FRED).
FRIM said in a statement today that the FRED portal, fully operational since last year, recorded an average of 2,885 user accesses annually and offered free registration for round-the-clock access to 160,244 metadata records and 77,600 digital files.
The digital resources include scientific articles, books, theses, journals, forest maps and newspaper clippings, benefiting researchers, policymakers, industry players, students and the public.
"This digitalisation initiative marks a transformation from the physical services of the FRIM Library in Kepong, which receives an average of 2,200 visitors annually," the statement said.
Established before 1918 and having survived both British and Japanese administrations, the specialised library houses nearly 200,000 reference materials covering 82 subjects related to forestry and forest products.
FRIM said historical records and documents preserved in the library were also among the key contributors to FRIM's recognition as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
"To ensure authoritative and systematically organised scientific references, the library's collection is managed using the Global Forestry Decimal Classification (GFDC), an international hierarchical classification standard also adopted by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) and the International Union of Forest Research Organisations (IUFRO)," the statement said.
Besides preserving heritage manuscripts from physical deterioration, the library houses four major special collections, namely the Rattan Collection, Bamboo Collection, ASEAN Collection and FRIRO (FRIM Research Output) Collection.
According to FRIM, the Rattan Collection was developed in 1988 through the Rattan Information Centre (RIC), with funding from the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), to promote rattan species such as Calamus manan as a scientific commodity and support rural economies.
The Bamboo Collection, established in 1993, contains more than 1,200 reference materials on bamboo research and industry, while the ASEAN Collection comprises research reports, proceedings on traditional forest management and studies on the regional impact of climate change.
Meanwhile, the FRIRO (FRIM Research Output) Collection serves as the official repository of publications, consultancy reports and conference papers produced by FRIM researchers since 1990.
"Since the establishment of the Forestry School in 1927 and academic collaboration with the Faculty of Forestry at Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) beginning in 1971, the FRIM Library has remained a cornerstone of human capital development and forestry education in the country.
"In today's era of information overload, the FRED portal ensures that the public has access to authentic, reliable and rigorously evaluated scientific references," the statement said.
Members of the public and the research community can explore the country's wealth of tropical forest science knowledge through the FRED portal at https://fred.frim.gov.my/Home/Index_v3.
-- BERNAMA