2007.12.06 - New grants for eIFL-IP

PRESS RELEASE
December 6, 2007

eIFL-IP receives grants from the Ford Foundation and the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation

eIFL.net is pleased to announce that it has been awarded new grants by two prestigious Foundations that seek to improve lives and create opportunity in countries around the globe. The awards are designed to assist the work of the eIFL.net programme on copyright, known as “eIFL-IP Advocacy for Access to Knowledge: copyright and libraries”.

The aim of the Ford Foundation’s International Intellectual Property Initiative is to contribute to the development of a more balanced global intellectual property regime that takes into account the interests of individuals and society. The focus of the programme on Intellectual Property and the Public Domain at the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation is the long-term protection of the public domain with support for new models, policy analysis and public education especially concerning intellectual property rights in the digital era.

“We are delighted that the Ford Foundation and the MacArthur Foundation have chosen to support our work to enable access to knowledge through libraries in developing and transition countries”, said Rima Kupryte, eIFL.net Director. “Copyright is increasingly seen as a barrier to libraries in carrying out their mission in the electronic era. It is essential that librarians are able to advocate effectively to ensure that copyright laws are fair and balanced and support widespread access to education and learning materials”.

The grants will be used to strengthen the network of eIFL copyright librarians and to build capacity in copyright issues amongst the library community in more than 45 developing and transition countries in eastern Europe, the former Soviet Union, south-east Asia, Africa and the Middle East. An annual global conference for eIFL copyright librarians covering key policy, legal and advocacy issues will build on knowledge and experience gained since the first regional training workshops. At the same time, eIFL.net will partner with the Berkman Center for Internet and Society at Harvard Law School to create a distance learning course in copyright issues for libraries.

“This is a tremendous opportunity to further the work of eIFL-IP and its librarians”, said Teresa Hackett, eIFL-IP programme manager. “Thanks to continuing support from the Open Society Institute and funding from the UNESCO Information for All Programme (IFAP), the basic building blocks are in place and the community has been sensitised to the issues. We are very grateful to the Ford and MacArthur Foundations for enabling us to broaden and deepen our impact and to ensure long-lasting and practical results”.

Further information:
Rima Kupryte, Director
Electronic Information for Libraries (eIFL)
c/o ADN Kronos, Piazza Mastai 9
00153 Rome, Italy
Tel: +(39)(06)5807216/17
E-mail: rima.kupryte@eifl.net
www.eifl.net

Notes for Editors

eIFL
eIFL.net is an international foundation, which supports national library consortia in more than forty five transition and developing countries to negotiate and advocate for the wide availability of electronic resources to education, research and professional communities as well as governmental organisations and civil society. This global network embraces millions of users in Africa, Asia, Eastern Europe, the former Soviet Union and the Middle East.

Tides Foundation
Support for the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation grant was provided by the Stichting eIFL.net Fund of the Tides Foundation, supporting progressive social change.
www.tides.org