Electronic Information for Libraries

Electronic Information for Libraries (EIFL), is an international not-for-profit organization working to enable access to knowledge in developing and transition countries. EIFL partners with libraries and library consortia in over 45 developing and transition countries including Africa, Europe and Asia, thereby effectively reaching millions of people.

EIFL aims to address the challenges that libraries and their users face in the digital environment, which currently include:

Negotiations and licensing of commercial e-resources (eIFL-Licensing): The cost of commercial e-resources can be a major barrier for libraries in developing and transition countries. Through central negotiation with publishers, eIFL.net negotiates highly discounted prices and fair terms of use to increase access to scholarly material which is essential for quality research and education.

Open access (eIFL-OA): Open access seeks to remove price and permission barriers that prevent knowledge from being shared. It provides free and unrestricted access to research materials. It also increases opportunities for scientists in developing and transition countries to contribute to the global research community. eIFL.net advocates for the adoption of open access policies and mandates by research funding agencies, universities and research organisations. eIFL.net also builds capacities to launch and sustain open access repositories to maximise access and to increase visibility and usage of research output.

Copyright for libraries (eIFL-IP): Restrictive copyright laws create legal barriers to the access and use of resources for education, research and personal development. This can also have financial consequences for libraries in developing and transition countries which have limited funds to purchase copyright-protected materials. eIFL.net seeks to address these issues by promoting fair and balanced copyright laws that support the library role in providing access to knowledge.

Free and open source software for libraries (eIFL-FOSS): Licence fees for commercial software applications can be a barrier to the development of a modern ICT infrastructure in libraries. Libraries in developing and transition countries require affordable, up-to-date software that can be adapted to suit local needs and languages. A wide range of free and open source software (FOSS) applications is available for libraries, but staff often lack the IT skills required. eIFL.net supports the deployment of free and open source software and provides the necesary training, enabling libraries to achieve significant cost savings.

More information can be found on their website www.eifl.net.