Resources provides access to practical academic and administrative resources for students.

Resources Overview

The BIMI Library and Learning Resource Centre is the intellectual heart of the institute. Designed specifically for medical students and researchers, it provides access to world-class academic materials, cutting-edge digital platforms, and expert library staff dedicated to supporting your education at every stage of your programme.

1.1  Overview & Mission

The BIMI Library and Learning Resource Centre (LRC) exists to equip every student and faculty member with the knowledge resources, research tools, and study environments they need to achieve academic excellence and contribute meaningfully to the medical profession. The LRC is not merely a repository of books — it is a dynamic, evolving academic resource hub that combines physical collections, digital platforms, expert guidance, and community learning spaces.

The LRC is housed across two floors of the Main Academic Building and is managed by a team of qualified medical librarians, digital resource specialists, and library assistants. It operates seven days a week throughout the academic year to ensure access is never a barrier to learning.

1.2  Physical Library — Facilities & Spaces

Reading Rooms & Study Areas

The LRC provides a range of carefully designed study environments to suit different learning preferences and needs:

•       Silent Study Zone: A fully enforced silent reading area across the entire upper floor, equipped with ergonomic seating, individual study carrels with personal desk lamps and power sockets, and climate control. Ideal for deep focus and examination preparation.

•       Collaborative Study Suites: Four fully enclosed glass-walled group study rooms accommodating 4 to 8 students. Each suite is equipped with a large-screen display, whiteboard, power sockets, and high-speed Wi-Fi. Rooms can be booked up to 7 days in advance through the Student Portal.

•       Open Learning Lounge: A relaxed, semi-quiet zone with comfortable seating arrangements, informal tables, and access to current journals and newspapers. Suitable for lighter reading, group discussion, and peer-assisted study.

•       Computer Workstation Bay: A bank of 40 dedicated library computers pre-loaded with essential medical software (including statistical packages, anatomy visualisation tools, and reference management software). Printing, scanning, and photocopying services are available.

•       Multimedia & Audio-Visual Room: A soundproofed room equipped with a projector, headphone stations, and anatomical models — used for visual learning, video-based case studies, and multimedia resource access.

•       Postgraduate & Research Corner: A quiet, dedicated area for postgraduate students, research fellows, and faculty, with access to specialist journals and research databases.

Physical Collection

The BIMI Library maintains a comprehensive, actively curated physical collection of over 12,000 volumes spanning the entire medical curriculum and beyond:

•       Core medical textbooks covering anatomy, physiology, biochemistry, pharmacology, pathology, microbiology, clinical medicine, surgery, obstetrics and gynaecology, paediatrics, psychiatry, and community medicine

•       Recommended reading lists for all modules updated each academic year in collaboration with the teaching faculty

•       International medical reference works and clinical guidelines, including WHO publications, standard treatment guidelines, and evidence-based medicine resources

•       Journals and periodicals — both current and back-issue print copies of leading medical journals

•       Past examination papers from BIMI and affiliated international medical institutions

•       Medical atlases, anatomical reference books, and surgical technique manuals

•       Kyrgyz and Russian-language medical texts for students undertaking modules in these languages

•       Non-medical supporting literature covering research methods, biostatistics, academic writing, and professional development

1.3  Digital Library & Online Resources

Recognising that the majority of cutting-edge medical evidence exists in digital form, BIMI has invested substantially in digital learning resources accessible 24 hours a day from anywhere in the world via the BIMI Student Portal. All enrolled students receive individual login credentials upon registration.

Licensed Database Subscriptions

BIMI provides institutional access to the following major academic databases and platforms:

Elsevier ScienceDirect

2,500+ medical and scientific journals

Full-text journal articles and book chapters

ClinicalKey (Elsevier)

Textbooks, guidelines, drug monographs, videos

Clinical reference, drug information, procedural guidance

NCBI Bookshelf

Full-text medical textbooks

Free access to Gray's Anatomy, Harrison's, and more

Cochrane Library

Systematic reviews and meta-analyses

Evidence-based clinical decision making

BMJ Best Practice

Clinical decision support, diagnostic pathways

Differential diagnosis, treatment protocols

UpToDate (Reader Access)

Evidence-based clinical guidance

Clinical queries at the point of care

JSTOR

Archival journals across disciplines

Historical medical literature and interdisciplinary research

Statista & WHO Data Portal

Health statistics and global disease data

Epidemiology, public health research, global health reports

Osmosis / Lecturio

Video-based medical education content

Visual learning, clinical vignettes, USMLE preparation

Human Anatomy Atlas (Visible Body)

3D interactive anatomical visualisation

Anatomy study and clinical anatomy revision

E-Book Library

Students have access to over 3,000 e-book titles through the BIMI Digital Library platform, including full electronic versions of the most-used medical textbooks. Key titles include — but are not limited to — Gray's Anatomy, Kumar & Clark's Clinical Medicine, Oxford Handbook of Clinical Medicine, Robbins Pathology, Ganong's Review of Medical Physiology, Goodman & Gilman's Pharmacology, and Bailey & Love's Short Practice of Surgery. E-books can be read online or downloaded for offline access on up to three registered devices.

OpenAccess & Free Resources Guide

The library team curates and regularly updates a guide to high-quality open-access medical resources available freely online. This includes resources such as OpenMD, MedlinePlus, WHO e-Library of Evidence for Nutrition Actions, and the Global Health Observatory. The guide is available on the Student Portal under Library > Free Resources.

1.4  Library Services

Borrowing & Loan Policy

Short Loan (High-Demand Texts)

Loan period: 7 days. Not renewable. Reserved for titles on current module reading lists.

Overnight Loan (Reference Texts)

Collected after 5 PM; returned by 9 AM the following morning. Overdue fine: $0.50 per hour.

Postgraduate / Staff Loans

Loan period: 28 days. Renewable up to 3 times. Staff may borrow up to 20 items simultaneously.

Maximum Items on Loan (UG Students)

8 items simultaneously (combination of standard and short loans).

Renewals

Online via Student Portal, by email to library@bimiedu.com, or in person at the library desk.

Recalls

Any borrowed item can be recalled if another user places a reservation. Student must return within 5 working days of recall notice.

Interlibrary Loan & Document Delivery

If a specific journal article, book chapter, or resource is not available through the BIMI collections, students and faculty can submit an Interlibrary Loan (ILL) request. The library will endeavour to source the material from partner institutions or through national library networks within 5–10 working days. ILL requests are submitted through the Student Portal. There is no charge for standard ILL requests (up to 10 per academic year per student).

Reference & Research Support

BIMI's qualified medical librarians offer one-to-one research consultations to help students and faculty with:

•       Designing systematic and scoping literature searches

•       Selecting appropriate databases for specific research questions

•       Understanding and applying database search operators and Boolean logic

•       Managing references using tools such as Mendeley, Zotero, and EndNote

•       Understanding citation styles (Vancouver, APA, Harvard)

•       Identifying and avoiding predatory journals

•       Evaluating the quality and credibility of academic sources

Research consultations are booked through the Student Portal or at the library help desk. Each session lasts approximately 45 minutes. Drop-in advice is also available during designated hours.

Library Hours

Saturday

8:00 AM – 8:00 PM

Sunday

10:00 AM – 6:00 PM

Public Holidays

10:00 AM – 4:00 PM (reduced services)

Examination Period

Extended to 11:00 PM on weekdays; 9:00 AM – 9:00 PM on weekends

Pro Tip: Study rooms must be booked in advance via the Student Portal. Rooms left unoccupied for more than 15 minutes after the booking start time will be automatically released to walk-in users.