EIFL works with libraries worldwide to enable sustainable access to high digital information for people in developing and transition countries. They are an international not-for-profit organisation based in Europe with a global network of partners.
Founded in 1999, EIFL began by advocating for affordable access to commercial e-journals for academic and research libraries in Central and Eastern Europe. Today, EIFL partners with libraries and library consortia in more than 45 developing and transition countries in Africa, Asia and Europe. Their work has also expanded to include other programmes designed to enable access to knowledge for education, learning, research and sustainable community development.
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Access to knowledge is fundamental to education and research, the improvement of lives, and the creation of human capital upon which the development of societies depends. Yet many people around the world are at risk of being left behind in the digital age.
Without access to high quality information and resources, the citizens and future leaders in developing and transition countries are at a severe disadvantage in terms of sustainable socio-economic, political and cultural development Effective libraries play a key role in the provision of information and services to people in a wide range of fields – from health care to engineering, from agriculture to education – thereby supporting scholarship, research and livelihoods in a variety of ways.
For many people, libraries are the only place to access computers and the Internet. Well-trained librarians help users to meet their information needs, and enable institutions and researchers to increase the visibility and usage of their scholarly outputs. In addition, librarians are advocates for the public interest to ensure that information is accessible to all, both now and in the future.
However, factors such as the high cost of commercial e-resources, legal barriers and poor technological infrastructure hamper effective library services and reduce their benefits. In order to realize their full potential, libraries need modern technology, tools, resources, and training.
EIFL began as eIFL.net in 1999 as an initiative of the Open Society Institute (OSI), a private grant-making foundation that is part of the Soros Foundation network. Recognising the key role that libraries play in the exchange of ideas, knowledge and information and the development of open societies, OSI invested significantly in library development and modernisation especially in the post-socialist countries of Central and Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union. With traditionally sophisticated educational systems, these countries represented emerging markets for international providers of scholarly and academic information. However, the barriers to access were formidable with little money to pay for expensive electronic resources, poor technological infrastructures, lack of capacity and relatively little awareness of electronic alternatives to print subscriptions. This deprived many libraries of the wealth of international academic journals and databases and the opportunities of digital technologies.
Committed to supporting education and research in transition countries, OSI through EIFL aimed to assist libraries and their users in achieving affordable access to electronic scholarly resources. EIFL negotiates licences with publishers for electronic resources on behalf of its members. As access to Internet-based digital material can be expanded at marginal cost to the provider, the idea is to leverage the purchasing power of individually "poor" customers and negotiate a multi-country consortial deal with information providers. EIFL acts as an agent for the national library consortia, who manages promotion and use of the electronic resources locally. Libraries and their users have access to thousands of full-text academic and scholarly journals from the arts to zoology through EIFL licences.
In 2002, EIFL became an independent foundation with diversified funding registered in the Netherlands with its operational seat in Rome, Italy. EIFL is a member of the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA) and the International Coalition of Library Consortia (ICOLC).
Over the last ten years, EIFL has been effective in helping libraries to overcome the challenges they face.
Mission
EIFL enables access to knowledge through libraries in developing and transition countries to contribute to sustainable economic and social development.
Values
EIFL was founded on a core belief that access to knowledge is necessary to advance sustainable social and economic development, and that libraries play a key role through the provision of high quality information resources and services.
Their work is guided by the following values:
EIFL’s unique approach is to partner with libraries organised in national library consortia - groups of libraries that share common goals - thereby effectively reaching millions of people. Consortia typically include university, research and public libraries, and other institutions. They speak with one voice to stakeholders and policy makers, and share resources and activities in order to serve their communities. At EIFL:
Access to Knowledge for Education, Learning and Research – ensuring well-resourced libraries, modern Information Communication Technology (ICT) infrastructure and skilled staff to provide essential support to students and scholars.
Access to Knowledge for Sustainable Community Development – helping to transform lives through innovative services in public libraries.
EIFL currently works with national library consortia in more than 45 developing and transition countries in Africa, Asia and Europe. Current members include:
Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Bulgaria, Cambodia, Cameroon, China, Egypt, Estonia, Ethiopia, Georgia, Ghana, Kenya, Kosovo, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Latvia, Lesotho, Lithuania, Macedonia, Malawi, Mali, Moldova, Mongolia, Mozambique, Nepal, Nigeria, Palestine, Poland, Russia, Senegal, Serbia, Slovenia, South Africa, Sudan, Swaziland, Syria, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Thailand, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Zambia, Zimbabwe.