The National Science Library at the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) has been leading the way in the development of open access in China. Open access means the free (gratis) availability of peer-reviewed literature to the public on the internet, permitting any user to read, download, copy, distribute, print, or link to the full texts of the articles (Budapest Open Access Initiative, 2002). There are two ways o achieve this; through open access journals and through institutional or subject-based repositories.

Proposals are Welcome. There is still time to apply to take part in this great opportunity for public libraries in developing and transition countries! Proposals must be received by February 28, 2010. You will find more information, the Call for Proposals, Application Form and a Help Desk on the PLIP pages of this site. Please make sure you read the Call for Proposals, especially the sections “Applicants are required”, “Selection criteria” and “Application Guidelines” before filling in the application form. Do not hesitate to use the Help Desk by contacting us at plip@eifl.net

eIFL works to support library consortia in almost fifty developing and transition countries from Albania to Kyrgyzstan to Zimbabwe. Naturally, the circumstances and needs vary from region to region and from consortium to consortium. Newly formed consortia are developing mission statements and grappling with organisational issues, while others may be well established with dedicated consortium office space and paid staff responsible for managing access to thousands of electronic journals worth millions of Euro to the country’s research and higher education community.

The Lao People's Democratic Republic, popularly known as Laos, is a country of six and a half million people. Sharing borders with Burma, China, Vietnam, Cambodia and Thailand, it differs from other countries in south-east Asia in that it was part of French Indochina, the nineteenth century French colonial empire. Laos gained its independence from France in 1949 and has been a single party socialist state since 1975. Following years of war and isolation, Laos joined ASEAN, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations in 1997.

eIFL has been an active proponent of the OA movement since its inception and was one of the original signatories of the Budapest Open Access Initiative (BOAI). The eIFL-OA programme has established itself as a major advocate for Open Access policies and practices globally. eIFL returns to South Africa in May 2009 for a one-day workshop “Gaining the momentum: Open Access and Advancement of Science and Research”.

Senegal, a nation of twelve million people, lies on the most western tip of the African continent. Independent from France since 1960, its post-colonial democratic transition is hailed as a success story. An ambitious economic reform programme in the 1990’s saw a continuous growth in GDP throughout the decade, leading to one of West Africa’s highest economic growth rates. For outsiders, ...

“Community” is a key word for free and open source software (FOSS). This is because FOSS is typically developed in an open manner. The more people participating, the stronger the community who contribute ideas, feedback and even software code. The result is better software that meets the needs of the user community. The eIFL-FOSS programme aims to raise ...

Access to knowledge (A2K) is essential for the functioning of a healthy and democratic society. Without a well-informed citizenry, enlightened public discussion cannot take place on political, social, environmental or economic issues. Without widespread debate, the broad consensus upon which a healthy democracy is based cannot be achieved. It is universally acknowledged that access to ...

The Kyrgyz Republic, known as “the Switzerland of Central Asia" due to the high mountains that cover most of the country, became independent from the Soviet Union in 1991 and is now a member of the Commonwealth of Independent States. In 2007, its gross domestic product (GDP) was ranked at 139 out of 179 countries by the International Monetary Fund. The Kyrgyzstan Library Information ...

Librarians around the world know one thing for sure: new technologies have had a great impact on the way that libraries work, as well on the types of services that libraries can provide to clients. Traditional job titles have changed beyond recognition. A librarian can be called a metadata specialist, a knowledge manager or a lifelong learning co-ordinator, or perhaps an information broker, ...

“Advocacy, accountability and transparency helped to put our library consortium on its feet, and continue to allow us to flourish”, says Helena Asamoah-Hassan, University Librarian at Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology and a founding member of the Consortium of Academic Libraries in Ghana, known as CARLIGH. The consortium is certainly flourishing. After only five years, ...

eIFL Direct Moldova is a consortium of sixteen major libraries spanning the Republic of Moldova. Independent since 1991, Moldova is one of fifteen countries of the former Soviet Union, and is now part of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS). With positive economic growth rates in the early 1990s, Moldova was hit hard by the regional financial crisis of 1998 and now struggles as one of the ...

Innovation and technological progress have replaced production and other traditional growth factors in modern day economies contributing as much as 50% to a country’s economic development, according to the European Commission. A 2005 UNESCO report on science, technology and economic development in south-eastern Europe reached a clear conclusion: investment in scientific and technical knowledge ...

With access to up-to-date material, scholars and researchers in Azerbaijan can produce top quality results. Using resources licensed through the consortium, Fariz Ahmedov, Assistant to the Dean, Khazar University School of Economics and Management, was able to prepare a presentation for the high level international conference on ...

"As our library stocks diminish due to scarce financial resources it is good to know that, for two years now, our academic and research staff have had reliable Internet access through the MALICO VSATs. This has enabled electronic access to the best world literature, keeping our teaching materials and research current. The facility also enables students to explore information beyond the lecture ...

Libraries can re-cycle redundant computers and transform old PCs into high-speed multi-purpose library terminals using Open Source Software.

Through cooperation and resource sharing, library consortia in developing countries can provide first-class services to their users who become world-class researchers