The Electronic Information for Libraries Network (eIFL) Open Access Program

Xiaolin Zhang, Director of the Library of the Chinese Academy of Sciences

The Electronic Information for Libraries Network (eIFL.net) is an international foundation which advocates for and supports the wide availability of electronic information for libraries in developing and transition countries. Our global network embraces nearly 4,000 leading libraries serving millions of users in 50 countries in Eastern Europe, the former Soviet Union, Africa, Asia, and the Middle East.

eIFL's Open Access Program builds upon the principles outlined in the Budapest Open Access Initiative (BOAI) and aims to assist the international effort to make research articles in all academic fields freely available online. To achieve open access, the BOAI recommends two complementary strategies: the development of institutional repositories and open access journals.

The presentation will focus on eIFL's Open Access Program which is working to raise awareness of the benefits of open access among eIFL's members in 50 developing and transition countries. Open Access will allow scientists and academics in developing and transition countries to not only access the vital material which they need to conduct their research, but will also allow them to more efficiently contribute their important work to the global research community.

By developing Open Access repositories and encouraging authors within these countries to publish their articles in Open Access journals, the research being done in these countries, will be more easily available to scholars throughout the world. The presentation will describe eIFL's Open Access Program which provides trainings and workshops on Open Access within eIFL participating countries, as well as supporting the creation of institutional repositories and Open Access resources. Thus far eIFL has held Open Access conferences in South Africa, Lithuania, China, Serbia, Ukraine and Zimbabwe.

More are currently planned in Poland, Russia as well as a conference which will include seven Southern African countries. The results of these workshops, as well as the continuing grassroots efforts which the eIFL members in each country are carrying out will be included in the presentation.