PART 2: Organisations specialising in library and book development

African Books Collective (ABC)

African Books Collective [updated Feb 2004]
Unit 13, Kings Meadow
Ferry Hinksey Road
Oxford, OX2 0DP
United Kingdom

Contact: Mary Jay, Consultant

Tel: +44 1865 726686 Fax: +44 1865 793298

E-mail: [email protected]

Web: http://www.africanbookscollective.com 

African Books Collective (ABC) is a major self-help initiative by a group of African publishers. The mission statement is: African Books Collective, founded, owned and governed by African publishers, seeks to strengthen indigenous African publishing through collective action and to increase the visibility and accessibility of the wealth of African scholarship and culture.

The strategy is three-fold: to work in partnership with publisher, donor and other cultural organisations in Africa and elsewhere to disseminate information and promote African publishing and book interests; to promote, market and distribute African-published materials worldwide outside publishers' domestic markets; and through a full range of marketing activities to increase sales of African-published books; and to draw on new technologies and evolving marketing developments, to develop existing markets and establish new markets.

ABC's strategy is, in part, commercial in order to achieve its cultural aims. The mission can only be achieved through commercial activities.

ABC is registered as a UK company limited by guarantee, is governed by a Council of Management which is constituted on a broad regional basis and comprises elected representatives from East, West and Central/Southern Africa. ABC, unusually for a distributor, undertakes a full promotion and marketing programme for the books it stocks. ABC is donor organisation-supported and non-profit-making on its own behalf and, because of this, is in a position to offer its participating publishers more favourable terms than those normally available under conventional commercial distribution agreements.

Michigan State University Press (MSUP) is ABC's North American partner: they market and distribute ABC titles in N. America.

Centralised billing and shipping is provided from either ABC or MSUP, and a wide range of joint catalogues and other promotional material is issued. English-language material is stocked with an emphasis on scholarly and academic books, creative writing by African authors and critical works on African literature. Children's books and some general interest titles are also stocked, as well as a small range of children's books in Swahili. 

ABC started trading in 1990, and participation has expanded from 17 to 80 publishers in 17 African countries. Participation is open to indigenous African publishers with titles suitable for promotion in the North. 

In its work to disseminate information and promote African publishing and book interests, ABC distributes books about African publishing and the book trades; and it has a small publishing programme of resource books for the African book communities.

Book Aid International and ABC are partners in running the Intra-African Book Support Scheme.

African Digital Library (ADL)

African Digital Library Centre for Lifelong Learning
Technikon SA
Private Bag X6
Florida, 1710
SOUTH AFRICA

Contact: Judy Henning

Tel: +27 11 471 2000 Fax: +27 11 471 2603

E-mail: [email protected]  Web: http://AfricaEducation.org/adl 

The African Digital Library (ADL) is a full-text, online library for the exclusive use of people living on the African continent. It has been created in the spirit of the African Renaissance and to support the revitalisation of education in Africa. All that is required is an internet connection, which by logging on to http://AfricaEducation.org/adl  allows  access to close to 8000 full text eBooks (the online equivalent to the printed book).

African Publishers Network (APNET)

African Publishers Network [updated April 2004]
APNET 
7e étage, Immeuble Roume 
Boulevard Roume, Abidjan Plateau
01 BP 3429 Abidjan 01 
COTE D'IVOIRE

Contact: Mr Akin Fasemore, Executive Secretary

Tel: +225 20211802 Fax: +225 20211803 
E-mail: [email protected]/[email protected]  Web: http: // www.apnet.org 

APNET - the African Publishers Network - was formed in 1992 to promote indigenous publishing in Africa. APNET brings together national publishers associations from 47 countries in Africa. APNET is a pan-African, non-profit making network with its Secretariat (previously in Harare) now in Abidjan, Cote d'lvoire.

APNET's vision is the transformation of African peoples through access to books. APNET's mission is to strengthen African publishers through networking, training and trade promotion in order to fully meet Africa's need for quality books relevant to African social, political, economic and cultural reality.

APNET has embarked on capacity building of indigenous publishing by way of skills training and intra-African trade promotion.

The detailed objectives of APNET are to: 

• address urgently the need for effective communication between African publishers, and between countries and regions, on developments affecting or likely to affect African publishing as a whole, through the medium of a newsletter; 
• set up an information-gathering system to bring together information on developments affecting African publishing from its many diverse sources; 
• analyse critically trends in African publishing and, where necessary, to produce policy documents reflecting the views and position of indigenous African publishers; 
• encourage and assist inter-African trading in books and joint ventures between African publishers; 
• assist in the establishment of national publishers associations throughout Africa; 
• work towards an association of African publishers as a body genuinely representative of indigenous African publishing throughout the continent; and 
• expand and improve the availability and scope of training for publishing and book distribution to Africa. 

The project is based on a number of inter-related activities: 

• the publication and distribution of a trilingual newsletter (The African Publishing Review) four times per year, the basis of which shall be country reports of major publishing developments, regional reports, special features on publishing conditions within a country, and other news affecting or likely to affect African publishers; 
• the research and publication of occasional documents reflecting policy thinking on indigenous African publishing; 
• inter-regional contact and networking involving travel by African publishers to attend important events in Africa, to collect information, to hold discussions, to brief publishers on the activities of APNET, to assist in inter-African book trading and to assist in the establishment of national publishers associations; 
• representation, to ensure indigenous African publishers' participation through APNET at major international conferences and otherwise to meet important multi-lateral agencies involved in support for African publishing; 
• to engage in the development of an African Publishing Institute for the expansion, improvement and co-ordination of training facilities available to African publishing; 
• the creation of a resource centre of documentary material on African publishing which will include information from the major book periodicals, policy statements and conference documents, and essays and articles on African books; 
  Two new features have been added: 
• capacity building of national publishers' associations; 
• a joint UNESCO-APNET project KAWI seeking to address the need for popular science reading material in French, English and Portuguese. 

APNET Board Members
Mr Mamadou Aliou Sow - Chairperson/Francophone Africa Representative, Les Editions Ganndal,
S/C Librarie de Guinee, Immeuble ELF (Ex-banque de Dixinn),BP542, Conakry, Guinea
Tel: +224-463 507/402 849 Tel: +224 11 212 350 (Mobile) Fax: +224 412 012/463 507 E-mail: [email protected]  

Mr Ayo Ojeniyi - Vice Chairperson/West Africa Representative, Nigerian Publishers Association
c/o Heinemann Educational Books (Nigeria) PLC, No. 1 Ighodaro Road, Jericho Layout, PMB 5205, Ibadan, Nigeria Tel: +234 02 2412268/2410943/2413237 Fax: +234 02 2411089/2413237 
E-mail: [email protected]  E-mail: [email protected]  

Mrs Janet Njoroge - Treasurer/East Africa Representative, Longhorn Kenya, POBox18033,Nairobi,Kenya
Tel: +254 2 532579/80/81/Tel: +254 2 533665 (Direct Line) Fax: +254 2 540037 
E-mail: [email protected]  E-mail: [email protected]  

Mr Egidio Mpanga - Southern Africa Representative , E & V Publications, Pride Investments & Magazine, Livingstone Avenue, 58 St Aldates68, Limbe. Malawi 
Tel: +265 9919 665 Fax: +265 1640 569
E-mail: [email protected] 

Mr Antonio de Brito - Lusophone Representative ,Associacao de Editores e Livreros de Angola
Cx P 1248, Luanda, Angola Tel: +244-2-331371 Fax: +244 2895162/332714 E-mail: [email protected]  

Mr Ashraf Hamouda - North Africa Representative,Dar El Shorouk, 8 Sibaweih Street-Rabaa Adawia, Nasr City, Cairo, Egypt Tel: +202 4023399 Fax: +202 4037567 E-mail: [email protected]  

Mr Freddy Ngandu - Central Africa Representative, Association des Editeurs du Cameroon, Editions CLE, Derriere la paroisse de Tsinga, Yaounde, Cameroon 
Tel: +237 223554 (Office) Tel: +237 207412 (Home)
Fax: +237 221761 E-mail: [email protected]  E-mail: [email protected]  

Mr Brian Wafawarowa ,Publishers Association of South Africa (PASA), c/o New Africa Educational Publishing PO Box 23408,Claremont 7735 or PASA PO Box 22640, Fish Hoek 7974 Cape Town, South Africa 
Tel: +27 021 782 7677 Fax: +27 021782 7679 E-mail: [email protected]  
E-mail: [email protected]  

Afro-Asian Book Council (AABC)

Afro-Asian Book Council [updated July 2004]
4835/24 Ansari Road
New Delhi 110 002
INDIA

Contact: Abul Hassan, Director 
Tel: +91 11 23261487 / 23246534 Fax: +91 11 2326437 
E-mail: [email protected]  

The Afro-Asian Book Council (AABC) was set up in 1990 following the Afro-Asian Publishing Conference held in New Delhi in February of that year at which concern was expressed at the continued dependence of nearly all the countries of the region on functional and literary material emanating from countries outside the region. 

The objectives of the Council are to: 

• encourage intellectuals, educationalists and academics to identify, for each country, the specific requirements for reading material of various categories of readers; 
• support and underwrite the initiative of authors to write for academic and other needs of the people in their own and similarly placed countries; 
• establish effective mechanisms for regular exchange of information about syllabi and curricula, reading needs, authors, publications and training facilities between the countries of the region; 
• augment the availability of functional and literary material in the Afro-Asian region through co-authorship, co-publishing, adaptation and translation; 
• set up institutions for research and development and for financing, promoting and initially subsidising the publication of locally relevant, functional and literary material at affordable prices; 
• provide formal and informal training facilities to augment the availability of professionally competent editors, translators, book designers, illustrators, printers, publishers and distributors;
• facilitate the two-way flow of locally relevant and reasonably priced books and reading material between the countries in the region. 

In addition, the Council participates in international book fairs such as those held in Beijing, Harare, Kuala Lumpur, Seoul, Singapore, New Delhi, Frankfurt and Book Expo America Chicago/ Los Angeles, Colombo, Abuja (Nigeria), Teipeh and the first SAARC Bookfair for which the Director of the Council contributed the lead paper for its brochure. 

The Council has organised five workshops on author development (in Nigeria, Pakistan, Kenya, Ethiopia and Malaysia) and has arranged training for university press representatives from Ethiopia and Iran. It has recently mounted an author workshop in Kuala Lumpur alongside a special display of Afro-Asian Books in the University of Malaya. Another author-editor workshop was mounted in June 1996 in West Bengal (India). 

The Council convenes Afro-Asian publishing conferences every year both in Asia and Africa to discuss the book industry and the problems faced in the Afro-Asian region and to suggest possible solutions. These include Books for the Millions (Harare, 1995) to synchronise with the 1995 Zimbabwe International Book Fair, Copyright (New Delhi, 1996), Book Industry Training (Dar es Salaam 1997), Author Development (Kathmandu,1998), Meeting Book Development Challenges in the New Millenium (Singapore, 2000); Copyright protection in the Information Age (New Delhi, 2001), Role of Book Exhibitions in Book Development (New Delhi, 2002) and Methodology of Writing School Textbooks (New Delhi, 2003).

The AABC has also been assigned a range of UNESCO projects under APPREB (Asia-Pacific Co-operative Programme for Reading Promotion and Book Development). 

Asia Foundation / Books for Asia

Asia Foundation / Books for Asia Program [Updated May 2004]
80 Elmira Street
San Francisco, CA 94124
USA

Contact: Gavin Tritt, Director, Books for Asia

Tel: +1 415 982 4640 Fax: +1 415 392 8863
E-mail: [email protected] / [email protected]  
Web: http://www.asiafoundation.org/Books/overview.html  

The Asia Foundation is a non-profit, non-governmental organisation committed to the development of a peaceful, prosperous, and open Asia-Pacific region. The Foundation supports programs in Asia that help improve governance and law, economic reform and development, women's participation, and international relations. Drawing on 50 years of experience in Asia, the Foundation collaborates with private and public partners to support leadership and institutional development, exchanges, and policy research. 

With a network of 17 offices throughout Asia, an office in Washington, D.C., and its headquarters in San Francisco, the Foundation addresses these issues on both a country and regional level. In 2003, the Foundation awarded more than $44 million in grants and distributed over 750,000 books and educational materials valued at almost $28 million throughout Asia. 

The Asia Foundation's Books for Asia program has been providing books, software, and other educational materials throughout Asia for almost half a century. From reference materials delivered by camel to university students in Pakistan in the 1950s, to shipments of picture books for Cambodian school children today, The Asia Foundation continues to support education at all levels. 

Since 1954, Books for Asia has distributed nearly 40 million books, software programs, and other educational materials to more than 50,000 institutions in 40 countries. Fifty years after the first Books for Asia shipments reached the Philippines, the need for educational materials in Asia remains strong. Illiteracy and poverty continue to affect hundreds of millions in the Asia-Pacific region, and a lack of educational opportunities and resources limits those who want to better their lives through education. 

In 2003 alone, Books for Asia distributed more than 750,000 books to 4,000 schools, universities, public libraries, research centres, and other educational institutions in 14 countries. By providing books and other educational materials to schools, libraries, reading rooms, communities, and disadvantaged and rural populations, Books for Asia helps educators and communities address important development goals, such as enhancing English language capacity, improving vocational and research skills, developing small business expertise, advancing the knowledge of professionals in critical areas such as medicine, engineering, and public administration, and teaching children and young adults how to read. 

More than 90 percent of Books for Asia's donations are new textbooks, mostly university-level, donated by US publishers. Books for Asia also accepts books from college bookstores, wholesalers, organisations, businesses, libraries, schools, and private individuals, provided they meet strict criteria. Donated books are evaluated for condition and content and are processed on a first-in, first-out basis from Books for Asia's San Francisco warehouse. Books are requested from donors and allocated for shipment based on annual needs assessments completed by The Asia Foundation's overseas offices in consultation with prospective recipients. The Foundation's field office staff then work directly with local educators, librarians, and research professionals to identify and select materials from the book shipments for their institutions. 

Books for Asia has a computerised inventory database system that tracks every new book by title and quantity for each containerised shipment to its offices in Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Cambodia, China, East Timor, Indonesia, Mongolia, Nepal, Pakistan, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Thailand, and Vietnam. Local Asia Foundation offices follow up regularly to monitor recipient institutions to ensure donated materials address local needs, are well maintained, and are made widely available. 

Bellagio Publishing Network

Bellagio Publishing Network [updated March 2004]
Oxford Secretariat
P O Box 1369
Oxford OX4 4ZR
UNITED KINGDOM

Contact: Katherine Salahi, Co-ordinator 
Tel: +44 1865 250024 Fax: +44 1865 250024 
E-mail: [email protected]  Web: http://www.bellagiopublishingnetwork.org 

The Bellagio Publishing Network is an international solidarity network for publishing and book development in the south. For over a decade, the Network has been recognised as a key information and knowledge provider, an enabling collaborative network, and a forum for discussion on issues of indigenous publishing, with special emphasis on Africa and the Caribbean. The Network evolved out of an international conference on publishing and development in the third world held in Bellagio, Italy in 1991.

The Network is international in scope and structure. It is made up of organisations and individuals who understand the importance of publishing and book development in education and culture, and who therefore share a commitment to the development of thriving indigenous publishing in the south. The Network includes publishers; government, international and private donor organisations; and others who are concerned with books and publishing. 

• It aims to:provide a base of practical information, knowledge, and theory about publishing and book development. Our publishing programme includes the Bellagio Publishing Network Newsletter, the Bellagio Studies in Publishing book series, the web site and Bellpubnet, an online discussion forum. 

• assist the effectiveness of publishing industries in the south, particularly Africa and the Caribbean. Southern initiatives for capacity building are supported through a variety of means that include researching funding sources, facilitating meetings and training, and providing information and ideas. 

• act as a think tank on southern publishing and book development. We organise meetings that bring a variety of actors to the table, to tackle key issues facing southern publishers. 

• encourage co-operation and broad participation in publishing and book development activities. We emphasise networking and information sharing, and seek out opportunities for south-south and equitable south-north collaboration. 

• foster young talent. We look at the special requirements of younger people in the industry, use the publications and online discussion forum for new voices to be heard, and provide work opportunities for young publishing professionals wherever possible. 

• work with women writers and publishers' organisations in the south to tackle issues of gender imbalance in publishing and related activities. 

The process of transferring co-ordination of relations between the African Publishers Network (APNET) and their strategic partners, the Bellagio Group of donors, was completed in 2000-01.

Book Aid International

Book Aid International [updated April 2004]
39-41 Coldharbour Lane
London SE5 9NR
UNITED KINGDOM

Contact: Sara Harrity, Director

Tel: +44 20 7733 3577 Fax: +44 20 7978 8006

E-mail: [email protected]  Web: http://www.bookaid.org 

Book Aid International works to lessen the information divide between the developed and the developing world, a divide which hinders children and adults from becoming independent learners who can realise their potential to bring about change.

Book Aid International works in partnership with public library services and the local book trade, to promote a reading culture and to advocate the importance of books and information for development. It supports its partners through the sharing of learning resources, and through training and capacity building to maximise their effectiveness.

Book Aid International believes access to relevant information is necessary for development in all spheres. It gives priority for support to organisations working in education, health, human rights, gender issues, environmental protection, and agriculture. It assists partners to target disadvantaged groups and to develop services that will meet their needs. Book Aid International works in 30 developing countries. The greatest concentration of effort is on 16 countries in sub-Saharan Africa, which are among the poorest in the world.

In its three year Plan (2004-2006) Book Aid International has set itself the following goals:

I. Access to books and information
Book Aid International aims to increase opportunities for learning and personal development, and to strengthen the
capacity of partner libraries to develop new ways of providing access to information. It will: 

1. provide over two million good quality books and other materials in English and in African languages, targeted to meet community information needs; 
2. support partner libraries to meet local needs in priority areas such as health, HIV/AIDS, vocational skills and African fiction, through purchase or donation of relevant materials from UK and African publishers;
3. work with partners to create attractive and vibrant libraries, by encouraging effective weeding, creative displays, outreach activities, adult literacy classes and other innovative services; 
4. support partners to increase the availability and use of Internet and ICT in libraries;
5. advocate best practice among book donating agencies.

2. Support for the book chain
Book Aid International aims to promote sustainable development by strengthening the capacity of all players in the book chain in Africa - authors, publishers, printers, library and information workers, booksellers - to make good books available and accessible to all. It will:

• encourage age library services, professional associations such as the African Publishers Network, the Pan African Booksellers Association, the East African Book Development Association, and other book development councils, to work together to promote reading and increase access to culturally relevant, locally published materials;
• devise projects with partners to develop the capacity of the local book chain through information exchange and training, for example on advocacy, and reading promotion;
• promote intra-African trade in books, and trade within countries

3. Partnerships - working to achieve common goals
Book Aid International aims to work in partnership with those organisations overseas who are committed to meeting the information needs of disadvantaged communities, and with those organisations in both the south and north who can help us to deliver its mission more effectively. It will:

• use partnership agreements with its library and book trade partners to ensure that programmes are focussed
  and effective;
• work with partners who reach out to disadvantaged communities and provide services relevant to their needs
• develop country programmes in key sectors such as primary education, health, and human rights that contribute to development and have a direct impact on the reduction of poverty;
• work to promote the interests of women and girls through all programmes;
• develop strategic alliances, increase networking and the sharing of best practice.

4. Reading promotion - reaching out to readers
Book Aid International aims to support partners to reach out into the community to attract new readers, and to promote reading as the basis for education and the creation of independent learners and citizens. It will:

• work with partners across the book chain to develop new and sustainable ways of encouraging
  disadvantaged people to read;
• encourage librarians and teachers to appreciate the value of books and reading widely, so they can enthuse readers and pupils work with partners to integrate reading promotion activities into daily work in libraries and schools.

5. Advocacy - books and information for development
Book Aid International and its partners aim to ensure that the importance of books and information is recognised at community and government levels, locally and internationally, and that increased resources are made available. It will:

• work with partners and local communities to advocate the importance of information for education and
  development, and the value of libraries as a cost effective means of delivery;
• develop new ways of working together to raise funds, share good fundraising practice, and explore opportunities for cost sharing as part of developing a sustainable approach
• build alliances in the UK and with international agencies to strengthen advocacy work raise its profile as an innovative and cost effective development agency, building circles of influence within and beyond its supporter base

6. Outcomes and Impact - the role of evidence
Book Aid International aims to support partners in improving how the outcomes of programmes and projects are measured, so that stronger evidence can be produced to show why access to information can help change people's lives. It will:

• work with partners to develop practical monitoring and evaluation skills which, in addition to producing facts and figures, focus on the outcomes and impact both of Book Aid International's support and that of partners' work as a whole

7. Training and learning
It aims to learn together with partners, share best practice, and support partners in developing professional skills and creative and sustainable approaches to delivering services for their users. It will:

• foster the conditions for reciprocal learning with partners;
• support partners in meeting their training needs for professional development, management and leadership;
• ensure training and learning is relevant to the local context, and helps equip partners with skills to meet the information needs of their communities on a sustainable basis.

Book-Link

Book-Link [New Entry]
64 Elgin Crescent
London W11 2JJ
UNITED KINGDOM

Contact: Irene Beard

Tel: +44 20 7727 3129 Fax: +44 20 7727 1416
E-mail: [email protected]  Web: http://www.booklink.org.uk 

Book-Link was created in 2003 to send books to the schools and universities of Ethiopia. The Academic Committee of Book-Link selects the titles of the books offered by the publishers before dispatching them to the Ministry of Education, which then sends them to the schools or the universities of each Region. In 2003 Book-Link sent 210,000 new school books to Ethiopia.

Auditing the value and the use of the books is Book-Link's top priority. Each year, a survey is organised in a different region by Book-Link with the help of Voluntary Services Overseas (VSO). This gives the committee a feedback on the validity of the books and their use. A major responsibility of the Academic Committee is to ensure that the secondary science books are cross referenced with the Ethiopian books. In collaboration with the Minister of Education, Book-Link is helping to restock the Medical Schools libraries. 

Although Ethiopia is the sixth poorest country in the world, its people long for education. The Government is investing the largest part of their national budget in education as they realise that it is the only way out of poverty. In a population of 73 million over 35 million are under the age of 20. English is taught as a subject from the first year in elementary school and all subjects are taught in English from secondary school and into university. There are 13,500 elementary schools and 550 secondary schools. All secondary schools and universities have a library as well as some of the elementary schools.

Books Abroad

Books Abroad [New Entry]
Unit 1,Richmond Avenue Industrial Estate 
Rhynie, HUNTLY 
Aberdeenshire AB54 4HJ
UNITED KINGDOM 

Tel/Fax: +44 (0) 1464 861446
E-mail: [email protected]  Web: http://www.booksabroad.net/ 

BOOKS ABROAD, a charity, was founded in Scotland in 1982. It sends carefully selected parcels of approximately 50 books direct to the educational establishments overseas. Emphasis is upon quality, good condition of books and of appropriate content for the institution involved, rather than upon quantity. Parcels are small enough to be carried to even the most remote sites without roads. Great efforts are made to respond to requests made by schools and other institutions, and when no appropriate books are available from our second-hand stock new ones are purchased as funds permit. In addition to this we supply atlases, dictionaries, health books, eg, "Where There Is No Doctor" and "Where There Is No Dentist". 

BOOKS ABROAD works with c1,050 schools worldwide which it regularly tries to assist. The target is to send at least 6 parcels to each institution biennially. 

A total of 154.67 tons (c773,350 books) have been sent since BOOKS ABROAD was founded.

BookPower

BookPower [updated Feb 2004]
c/o International Book Development Ltd
305-307 Chiswick High Road
London W4 4HH
UNITED KINGDOM

Contact: Valerie Teague, Head of Administration

Tel: +44 20 8742 7474 Fax: +44 20 8747 8715 
E-mail: [email protected]  Web: http://www.bookpower.org/ 

BookPower is a charitable trust which aims to advance education in the developing world through the provision of subsidised, unabridged editions of tertiary-level textbooks, particularly in the fields of medicine and nursing; science, engineering and technology; and economics and business studies. These subsidised editions are priced at between one-third and one-fifth of their cheapest standard paperback price and sold through the local book trade in the countries in which the scheme operates. 

The scheme operates in 37 English-speaking countries in sub-Saharan Africa, the Indian subcontinent and the Caribbean. A list is available both on the website and from the Administrator. 

BookPower was set up to continue part of the work of the former Educational Low-Priced Books Scheme (ELBS). This was started in 1960 in partnership with UK publishers, and was funded by the British Government's Overseas Development Administration until March 1997. At its height ELBS included over 500 titles with annual sales of more than 800,000 volumes (mainly health-related) per year in 86 countries in Africa, Asia, the Caribbean, the Middle East and the Pacific. 

The BookPower list, whose first subsidised title was published in 1998, currently includes titles in the medical and health sciences; business studies; hotels, catering and tourism; and veterinary medicine and animal welfare. A copy of the catalogue is available on request to the Administrator. As this is a tertiary-level textbook scheme, priority is given to the maintenance of sufficient stock of existing titles to meet repeat demand, remaining funds being used to take further titles into the scheme. Fundraising remains an on-going priority. 

Books for Africa (BFA)

Books For Africa [updated June 2004]
253 East 4th Street 
Saint Paul, MN 55101 
USA

Contact: Patrick Plonski, Executive Director

Tel: + 1 651 602 9844 Fax: +1 651 602 9848
E-mail: [email protected]  Web: http://www.booksforafrica.org  

Founded in 1988, Books for Africa (BFA) is a Minnesota based non-profit organisation whose mission is to eliminate the book famine in Africa. It collects, sorts, ships and distributes books to children in Africa. Since it began operations, Books For Africa has shipped over 8 million books to Africa. Books donated by publishers, schools, libraries, individuals and organisations are sorted and packed by volunteers who carefully choose books that are age and subject appropriate. These are then sent to one of the over twenty African countries served by BFA. Good quality books sufficient for a whole class to use are supplied. 

In addition to the books sorted and despatched from BFA's donated warehouse space in St. Paul, Minnesota, two-thirds of the shipments sent through BFA originate outside the state in partnership with organisations such as Rotary, African groups in the US and church groups. To help organisations throughout the country raise money, collect books, and send a shipment, BFA has developed an operations manual which outlines various options for participation. 

Books for Change

Books for Change [updated June 2004]
139 Richmond Road
Bangalore 560025
INDIA

Contact: Ram Mohan, Managing Director

Tel:         +91 80 5586682                    Fax: +91 80 5586284

E-mail: [email protected]     Web: http://booksforchange.net

Books for Change was set up in 1997 as a specialist agency to promote and support the distribution of information to the development sector. It has two main aims are to:

• produce and publish books, booklets and training materials that support NGOs and promote  

• development and the ideas and experience of development;

• provide a distribution network for publications about development produced by non-governmental

• organisations (NGOs) and commercial publishers.  

Books for Change also seeks to work in partnership with other NGOs and information providers wherever possible.

The publishing programme of Books for Change includes:

• practical handbooks and training material to support the work of NGOs. Publications include books on corporate giving and on audio-visual communication, and a series of `little books' on communication skills.

• issues in development, including food security, the girl child, violence against women and caste.

• practical material on development practice, including documentation of good practice, training materials and books on appropriate technology. Titles already published include turning salt water into drinking water, how to set up and run a village library and books on working with disability.

• campaign materials that communicate issues to a wide audience, including books on street children  (in preparation) and latrine workers.

• village-level publications giving practical information to rural people which is produced in a well- illustrated and accessible format and published to be affordable to the intended readership. Publications will cover health, rights and livelihoods. The first titles are a set of 80 posters on community health and nutrition published with the UNDP, and books on setting up a business (Lakshmi's Teashop) and farmers rights (Buy with Care). This part of the programme is separately funded and produces books in Telugu for distribution in Andhra Pradesh. Titles are available for translation into other languages. This is one of several linked initiatives in rural publishing and distribution being developed by the Centre for Innovation in Voluntary Action.

Books for Change will publish around 25 books a year itself, most of the titles being developed in India. Publications will be in Indian languages as well as in English, and the first language publications are already in preparation. Books for Change will also act as co-publisher of books produced by other NGOs.

Alongside its publishing, Books for Change also acts as a distributor for books on development published by NGOs and commercial publishers. These are contained in an annual catalogue with two annual updates, and the titles stocked are distributed by mail order. Books for Change is planning to set up distribution points across India where its range of titles will be on display and can be ordered. Books for Change also organises bookstalls at conferences.

Books for Change was set up by the Centre for Innovation in Voluntary Action with support from the Department for International Development and several leading foundations. The aim is to create a financially sustainable operation that generates sufficient income from its publishing and distribution operations to recover its running costs. After four years of operations, progress is being made towards this.

Books for Change is a not-for-profit initiative managed in India by ActionAid India. It welcomes enquiries from NGOs wishing to collaborate to publish and distribute their books, and from overseas distributors interested in selling Books for Change publications internationally.

India contact: Ram Mohan, Managing Director, Books for Change.
E-mail: [email protected]

UK Contact: Michael Norton, Centre for Innovation in Voluntary Action, 9 Mansfield
Place, London NW3 1HS Tel: +44 171 4311412 Fax: +44 171 4313739
E-mail: [email protected]

Bridge to Asia Foundation

Bridge to Asia Foundation [updated June 2004]
665 Grant Avenue
San Francisco, CA 94108-2430
USA

Contact: Jeff Smith, President

Tel: +1 415 356 9041 Fax: +1 415 356 9044

E-mail: [email protected]  Web: http://www.bridge.org 

Bridge to Asia provides informational materials, and research and document-delivery services to institutions and individuals in developing countries in Asia. The aim is to transfer knowledge, and to place control of the process with users. Bridge to Asia promotes equal access to knowledge--it supplies books, journals, databases and other educational materials that are essential to teaching and research but too costly for most developing countries to afford. 

Bridge has sent 6 million books to 1,000 schools over 16 years and is the largest such program in China. It also has used the Internet to help scholars in China gain access to knowledge in the West. 
To determine needs for materials, it consults with ministries and institutions in the countries and to deliver books to teachers and students at 1,000 universities, it coordinates with in-county partners. 

Bridge to Asia also operates several internet-based `information-transfer stations' which help users in China and other countries gain access to information resources worldwide. Experience to date demonstrates that nearly all internet applications are insufficient by themselves to provide access to the knowledge that users in China and other countries desire. 

Bridge to Asia has developed new applications and proposals to increase access to knowledge in developing countries. These include exploration of novel applications of information technologies that promise to provide more equal access, including `Knowledge Ports' (one-stop sites containing core information in a field, free to the public), and the `European Knowledge Commons' (an array of Knowledge Ports in cities or regions with recognised expertise - a Port in Leipzig, for example, in `environmental renewal'). Other activities have included telemedical consultations via the internet between China and the United States. Information on this can be found at http://telemed.stanford.edu .  

Its capacity to support higher education in China and Southeast Asia has been extended by a grant from the Freeman Foundation. This will help provide new books for university libraries. To coordinate these efforts and mobilise further support a website is being built. BOOKSAIL will let libraries in China and other countries list their needs, and let donors around the world buy books that match them. Large collections will be purchased - in law, medicine, architecture, science and engineering, and other critical fields - by spreading the costs over very large numbers of donors. When BOOKSAIL reaches critical mass, it will operate without external funding and continue to provide thousands of new books and journals over the long term. 

Brother's Brother Foundation (BBF)

Brother's Brother Foundation [updated June 2004]
1200 Galveston Ave
Pittsburgh, PA 15233
USA

Contact: Karen Lensie, Development Director 

Tel: +1 412 321 3160 Fax: +1 412 321 3325 
E-mail: [email protected]  Web: http://www.brothersbrother.org  

The Brother's Brother Foundation is a 47-year old international charity, which has provided educational, medical and agricultural assistance to people in over 110 countries on five continents by `connecting people's resources to people's needs'. 

The Brother's Brother Foundation supporting over that period of time education programmes in approximately 30 countries throughout the world providing over 50 million books valued at an estimated US $670,000,000 to schools, libraries and institutions that lack access to such resources.
25,000,000 students served in over 50,000 schools and libraries

Asia - 12,111,944 books
West Indies - 11,099,659 books
Africa - 9,830,826 books
Latin America - 2,788,483 books
Eastern Europe - 2,554,305 books

2001 - 2003 Distributed over 8,100,000 requested texts to students in 49 countries (over 90 % of texts provided by publishers)

Caribbean Publishers' Network (CAPNET)

Caribbean Publishers' Network (CAPNET) [updated July 2004]
11 Cunningham Avenue 
Kingston 6 
JAMAICA 

Contact: Ian Randle, President

Tel: + 876 978 0745
Fax: + 876 978 1156
E-mail: [email protected]  
Web: http://www.capnetonline.com/about.html  

The Caribbean Publishers Network (CAPNET) is a pan-Caribbean, non-profit network of publishers created to support and promote indigenous publishing throughout the region. CAPNET recognises publishing as a cultural enterprise and aims to contribute to the socio-economic and cultural development of the Caribbean. The organisation promotes linkages with other organisations, which, in the face of globalisation struggle to preserve the many voices that reflect the unique expressions of local and regional cultures.

Membership is open to any individual, partnership, company, institution or agency located in any country bordered by the Caribbean Sea and engaged in the publication of books, magazines, journals, educational material or multi-media works. Associate membership is available to any other individual, partnership, company, institution or agency not qualifying for full membership but supporting the aims and objectives of CAPNET. Associate membership does not confer voting rights or eligibility for election to the Council of CAPNET.

CAPNETs objectives
i. To support the creation and development of a vibrant indigenous publishing industry in the Caribbean
ii. To further co-operation and communication among Caribbean publishers
iii. To promote the exchange of knowledge between Caribbean countries through translated works and regional projects
iv. To accelerate the process of intra-regional trade in books
v. To raise the profile of the publishing industry in all countries of the region, and to increase public awareness and appreciation of the importance of a viable publishing industry to national and regional development
vi. To formulate and implement policy and strategy on co-ordination and consolidation of training resources, curricula, infrastructure and funding for book publishing in the region
vii. To encourage excellence in writing, editing, design, production, marketing and distribution of published works in the Caribbean.
viii. To vigorously protect and further the interests of copyright owners, agents and licencees
ix. To protect and promote freedom of expression
x. To promote the creation of a Caribbean book fair and other book trade events that serve the interests of an indigenous publishing industry and to encourage and facilitate rights trading between regional publishers.
xi. To initiate and develop policy studies on the expansion and economic development of the publishing industry in the region and to formulate strategies which can be used by governments, donor agencies, and financial and lending institutions
xii. To create an information-gathering system on the major processes and developments in Caribbean publishing, and to provide a forum for the interchange of ideas on issues of interest to Caribbean publishers
xiii. To actively represent the interests of the publishing industry to governments and other organisations, and to support legislation which promotes the free flow of books across borders and ratifies international conventions in this area
xiv. To represent the interests of Caribbean publishers and publishing in international for a
xv. To actively promote Caribbean publishers to international markets
xvi. To establish linkages with other organisations with similar interests.

New September 2004

Centre for the Book

Centre for the Book
PO Box 15254 Vlaeberg
Cape Town 8018
South Africa

Contact: Elisabeth Anderson

Tel: +27 (021) 423 2669 Fax: +27(021) 424 1484
E-mail: [email protected]  Web: http://www.centreforthebook.org.za 

The vision of the Centre for the Book is to promote a South African culture of reading and writing. It aims to promote the writing, publishing, reading, marketing and distribution of South African books in all South African languages in order to develop a truly South African literary culture. The Centre for the Book is a specialist unit of the National Library of South Africa. The core functions of the Centre for the Book are book development, lobbying, raising awareness, advocacy and acting as a hub of information and as an advice centre for the book world. Its support of one or more of the following aims:

Promotion of Children's Literature - The Centre for the Book recognises the crucial importance of developing a culture of reading among very young children. Thus it is co-ordinating these two programmes:

• First Words in Print 
• Children's Literature Network 

Promotion of Writing
One of the key aims of the Centre for the Book is to support the development of local writing and emerging writers.

Promotion of Publishing
The Centre for the Book promotes South African Publishing in the following ways:

• The Community Publishing Project aims to open up entry points into publishing, making more openings for new and marginal voices. 
• All First Words In Print books will be written, illustrated and published by South Africans 
• The Children's Literature Network e-group is a forum for all those interested in children's books to share ideas, ask for information about books, where to get published; 
• It holds a showcase of recent South African publications; 
• It represents publishers at Book Fairs, for example at the National Arts Festival and at the Zimbabwe International Book Fair. 
• The Centre for the Book is involved in book development, lobbying and advocacy for local books, local writers, the local book trade. 

The Centre for the Book is an active member of the Publishers Association of South Africa (PASA). 

Centro Regional para el Fomento del Libro en América Latina y el Caribe (CERLALC)

Centro Regional para el Fomento del Libro en América Latina y el Caribe (CERLALC)
Calle 70 No 9-52
Apartdo Aereo 57348
Santafe de Bogota
COLOMBIA

Tel: +571 212 6056 Fax: +571 321 7503

E-mail:  [email protected] Web: http://www.cerlalc.org 

The Centro Regional para el Fomento del Libro en América Latina y el Caribe (CERLALC) is an international organisation created in 1971, under a co-operation agreement between the Government of Colombia and UNESCO. Currently 19 additional Latin American countries and Spain are members of the organisation.

CERLALC's mission is primarily to promote 4 key aspects of publishing: production, diffusion, distribution and free circulation of printed and non printed books; reading in all contexts of society; copyright and neighbouring rights; and the generation and circulation of information related to books in Spain and Latin America.

Among the most relevant issues in the member countries are the following: the establishment of national book laws and complementary legislation; the generation of book production and trade statistics; the institutionalisation and offering of training in book related topics; and the creation of isbn national agencies, with technical support for their development and functionality. The creation of a Spanish and Portuguese common book market is a central objective. Another central issue is the promotion of Unesco's Florence Agreement regarding the importation of educational, scientific and cultural materials as the proper legal instrument to facilitate the free circulation of books.

CERLALC's activities include advising and providing technical support to governments, as well as advising public and private institutions, providing information, undertaking research, offering professional training and organising conferences.

CERLALC actively promotes copyright through the provision of advice and technical support, and it stimulates joint actions against piracy and illegal reprography. It also fosters numerous training activities in this area. Most importantly, CERLALC is behind the creation of copyright collective administration associations and reprographic rights organisations in Latin America.

CERLALC also provides support to governments and to public and private institutions with respect to the design and execution of national reading policies, mainly in schools, libraries, and mass media.

CERLALC's regional information service is involved with professional training opportunities, on going research, experts, events, and specialised bibliography by book matter. This information proves valuable to governments and private sectors in their decisions regarding copyright promotion and protection, the creation of a common book market between Spanish and Portuguese speaking countries, and the access and appropriation of written culture through reading. The service offers several products on the region's book sector and issues. Among them, the following cd-rom publications are worth mentioning: Books in Print in Spain and Latin America, Latin American Publishers, Distributors and Bookstore Directory, Latin American Public, University and National Library Directory, and Datalex: Database on Copyright and Neighboring Rights.

CERLALC publishes materials on topics of interest for authors, publishers, printers, book distributors, booksellers, librarians, teachers, readers and other participants in the book world. Its collections include:

• multimedia / cd-rom – these software publications contain databases produced by CERLALC's regional information service. These products are useful tools for the daily and strategic work of editors, distributors, librarians, booksellers, reading promoters, teachers and students;

• training handbooks – these publications are technical in character and, include various exercise modules. Directed to book professionals;

• professional series on Books and Editing – this series offers training material with theory and practice exercises. Directed to book professionals;

• Latin American reading promotion co-editions – this series is instrumental in the education of teachers, librarians and other professionals that work in reading promotion. Prestigious authors of several Spanish and Portuguese speaking countries share their thinking in the field;

• other publications – various publications on topics related to copyright, production, textbooks and other book issues.

Twice a year, CERLALC publishes El Libro en América Latina y el Caribe (Books in Latin America and the Caribbean) a specialised magazine offering informational topics related to the book sector in the region. It also offers institutional information on the centre's activities and projects.

Quarterly, CERLALC publishes Boletín Informativo (Information Bulletin), edited since 1993 and distributed freely without cost in 42 countries. Boletín Informativo shares information on events, education and courses on book matters and recent book related news, as well as the latest bibliographical references of documents available to the public at CERLALC's regional information service.

CODE

CODE
321 Chapel Street
Ottawa
Ontario K1N 7Z2
CANADA

Contacts: Yvonne Appiah, Executive Director

Sean Maddox, Director, Development Program

Tel: +1 613 232 3569 Fax: +1 613 232 7435

E-mail: [email protected]  Web: http://www.codecan.org 

CODE is a Canadian charity that for more than 40 years has been collaborating with other voluntary sector organisations, donor agencies, the private sector, local governments and overseas partner agencies to help children and adults in the developing world to read and write.

CODE began in 1959 as the Overseas Book Centre (OBC). Its main activities in the early years were to collect used books from Canadian publishers, libraries, schools and individuals to ship overseas to needy schools and institutions. As needs and priorities evolved, the OBC evolved with them including a change in emphasis and a change of name to CODE. CODE's development activities have focused on the provision of donated North American books as well as on direct support to indigenous publishing. Library development also emerged as a main programming thrust and the primary beneficiaries were children to the age of 15 and adults with six or fewer years' education.

Today, CODE's primary beneficiaries are boys and girls of primary school age. The goal of CODE's overseas program is to increase children's capacity to learn. To achieve this goal, CODE works with 14 partner organisations in nine countries in Africa and the Caribbean. These organisations implement programmes in their communities, regions or countries which build and maintain strong literate environments for children. Their CODE-supported activities are focused on:

• the provision of learning materials children

• skills development for teachers, librarians and literacy agents

• the promotion of literate environments for children

• the strengthening of education networks and resources.

In CODE's programmes, special attention has also been given to increasing the availability of learning tools in local languages, as well as to promoting gender equity.

CODE continues to meet its goal of supporting a sustainable literate environment in the developing world by providing appropriate North American and locally published learning materials. CODE provides its partners with more than 350,000 books donated by North American publishers every year. In addition, CODE provides funding for its partners to buy and distribute over 200,000 locally published books to school and community libraries. These books bring literacy to millions. For many, these books are the only source of reading and learning.

To improve the effective utilisation of the available learning materials by primary school age children, CODE helps provide training to enable teachers/librarians to increase their skills in the teaching of reading to children.

CODE relies on its funding from individual donors, foundations, service clubs, institutions and corporations, including its wholly owned profit corporation, CODE Incorporated. The Canadian federal government also provides generous support through the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA). In-kind support comes from North American publishers who donate books, the media who give free advertising and from other businesses. All these donors understand the power of literacy to improve people's lives.

Coopération par l'Éducation et la Culture (CEC)

Coopération par l'Éducation et la Culture (CEC)
18 rue Joseph II
B-1040 Brussels
BELGIUM

Contact: Ann Gerrard, Director

Tel: +32 2 217 9071 Fax: +32 2 217 8402

E-mail: [email protected]  Web: http://www.cec-ong.org 

Set up in 1978, Coopération par l'Éducation et la Culture (CEC) is a Belgian non-governmental organisation, active in the fields of education, training, literacy, women's issues, medical support, library development and cultural exchange.

One of CEC's priorities has, from its inception, been support to indigenous publishing through the supply of books published in Africa to rural and school libraries throughout the continent. Since 1980 CEC has also promoted and distributed the output of francophone African publishers in Belgium. They implement development projects in third world countries in the above-mentioned fields mainly in Africa but also in Vietnam, Haiti the Comoros and Chile.

In Belgium CEC acts as a development education agent to increase the awareness of third world problems primarily amongst academics and to develop a more positive view of the cultures of the South.

CEC has undertaken a number of consultancy projects including:

• a feasibility study in francophone Africa, of the `collection francopoche' for ACCT.

• assistance for developing various textbooks and collections of children's readers both in French and vernacular languages in Zaire, Burundi, Rwanda and Cameroon.

• participation in donors' meetings to determine priorities and guidelines for ACCT's `fond d'aide au manuel scolaire' on behalf of the Belgian government (Commun.auté Française).

• a presentation of the publishing industry in Zaire for UNESCO.

Training activities include the training of textbook authors and the writers and illustrators of children's books in Niger, Zaire and Tunisia. They have also organised internships in Belgian publishing houses for African professionals involved in the book trade.

CEC has provided assistance for translations from French into Swahili and Lingala.

CEC has funded a number of subsidies to publishing activities in Africa including the production of educational materials, using an innovative interdisciplinary approach to development issues, for secondary schools in Niger. CEC arranges funding from donors, of which the largest (US $400,000) was for the distribution of locally published quality children's readers in Zaire.

CEC has been responsible for the promotion and distribution of the publications of francophone African publishers (including Afrique Édition, NEA, CEDA and Eddif) in Benelux countries. Several CEC projects encourage Belgian general and school libraries to purchase books from African publishers (eg, panels on African literature, mobile bookshop, conferences). CEC is present at most African book fairs and has been organising a stand at, and promotion of the AIEAF (Association Internationale des Éditeurs Africains Francophones) at Brussels International Bookfair each year. They have also regularly invited African writers and publishers to the bookfair or to colloquia and promotional events in Belgium.

CEC has purchased US $500,000 worth of books from third world publishers for libraries in Senegal, Benin, Côte d'Ivoire, Zaire, Mali, Niger, Comoros, Haiti, Chile and Vietnam.

New September 2004

Directory of Open Access Journals

Directory of Open Access Journals
Lund University Libraries 
Head Office 
SWEDEN

Contact: Lotte Jørgensen, Project Coordinator

Tel: +46 46 222 34 31 Fax: +46 46 222 36 82
E-mail: [email protected]  Web: http://www.doaj.org/ 

The proliferation of freely accessible online journals, the development of subject specific pre- and e-print archives and collections of learning objects provides a very valuable supplement of scientific knowledge to the existing types of published scientific information (books, journals, databases etc.). However these valuable collections are difficult to overview and integrate in the library and information services provided by libraries for their user constituency. 

At the First Nordic Conference on Scholarly Communication in Lund/Copenhagen (http://www.lub.lu.se/ncsc2002) it was agreed creating a comprehensive directory of Open Access Journals would be a valuable service for the global research and education community. Available technologies makes it possible to collect and organise these resources in a way that makes it possible for libraries worldwide to integrate these resources in existing services thus offering value adding both for the service providers of these resources and for the global research and education community. 

The aims of the Directory of Open Access Journals are to:

• increase the visibility and ease of use of open access scientific and scholarly journals thereby promoting their increased usage and impact. 
• be comprehensive and cover all open access scientific and scholarly journals that use a quality control system to guarantee the content. In short a one stop shop for users to Open Access Journals. 

The directory now contains information about more than 1100 open access journals, i.e. quality controlled scientific and scholarly electronic journals that are freely available on the web

East African Book Development Association (EABDA)

East African Book Development Association
Suite 14, 3rd Floor, Fountain House
Plot 55, Nkrumah Road
PO Box 25412
Kampala
UGANDA

Contact: Ruth Makotsi, Executive Secretary

Tel: +256 41 259163/251112 Fax: +256 41 251160

E-mail: [email protected]  Web: n/a

The East African Book Development Association (EABDA) was established in June 1998. It is a co-ordinating committee of national book development organisations from three East African countries, namely, Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda whose mandate is to provide a forum for collaboration between both private and government stakeholders in the book and education sector. Currently the membership is made up of the National Book Development Council of Kenya (NBDC), the National Book Trust of Uganda (NABOTU) and the committee of the Tanzania National Book Development Council (TNBDC). Representing all professional book publishing associations in the regions such as publishers, booksellers, writers, printers, librarians and associated government ministries and departments.

Meetings of the EABDA are held four times a year, participation being on nomination of equal numbers by NBDC, NABOTU and TNBDC. In June 1998 a planning seminar was held on the promotion of reading, and in September 1998 a second regional seminar addressed the inter-border trade barriers in books and resolved to table the concerns of the regional publishing sector to the East African Commission, and in particular, for their inclusion within the EAC Treaty.

In order to create the desired balance in the publishing output of the three national book industries, collaboration among the players in the industry, the private practitioners and governments as well as regional book associations is regarded as essential. Thus, players in the East African book industry have agreed to adopt a regional approach to reading promotion and book sector development projects focussed on nurturing a reading habit among the region's people and enhancing the role of the book sector in regional development.

Planned activities include:

• Book Weeks – designed to develop and enhance a reading culture among East Asian people. Book Weeks also provide a forum for collaboration among stakeholders in the book sector, especially between the private sector and governments; they provide an opportunity for trade in books, thus expanding the regional market; and they enable the public to interact with the industry; they support schools in developing libraries;

• publication of a regional newsletter to provide a forum for communications among the various stakeholders;

• organisation of regional conferences to address the evolving issues and needs of the region's book industry;

• establishment of regional book award;

• establishment of a regional cultural institute which can offer vocational training in culture and the arts, including selected professions of the book industry.

New September 2004

Electronic Information for Libraries (eIFL.net) 

eIFL.net
c/o ADN Kronos
Piazza Mastai 9
00153 Rome 
ITALY 

Contact: Rima Kupryte, Director 

Tel: + 39 06 5807216/17 Fax: + 39 06 5807246
E-mail: [email protected]  Web: http://www.eifl.net/ 

Electronic Information for Libraries (eIFL.net) started in October 1999 as an initiative of the Open Society Institute (OSI), a private grant-making and operating foundation, part of the Soros Foundation network became an independent foundation in 2002 that strives to lead, negotiate, support and advocate for the wide availability of electronic resources by library users in transition and developing countries. Its main focus is on negotiating affordable subscriptions on a multi-country consortial basis, while supporting the enhancement of emerging national library consortia in member countries. Additionally it will offer training, consultancy and a range of other services.

The main principles that inspire eIFL.net's activities can be summarised as follows:

• access to information is essential in education and research and has a direct impact on the development of societies;
• the combined purchasing and negotiating power of libraries can lead to affordable and sustainable access to electronic information in countries in transition; 
• the empowerment of citizens and the spread of democracy depends on equal access to information worldwide: eIFL is committed to levelling the playing field. 

Uniting purchasing power of large numbers of libraries, representing them and their consortia to vendors and producers of information and to policy makers and funders are among the main objectives of eIFL.net. In addition to this, eIFL.net aims to:

• expand the range of product offerings; 
• diversify delivery and funding models to accommodate greater diversity of requirements; 
• expand the number of member countries; 
• provide knowledge and resource sharing for members; 

The members of eIFL.net are local library consortia that are in charge of national licenses for e-resources. The structure, membership and funding of these consortia varies from country to country. Some of them have a formal status and offer a wider range of services, some of them are informal where libraries were brought together for the single purpose of jointly licensing electronic journals. In some cases, the National Library leads the formal or informal consortium, in others there is a consortial office set up. Quite a few consortia have government funding bound to formal application procedures, but in many cases the funding is covered by the membership fees of libraries.

Geographically, eIFL.net started in countries where the Soros foundations' network operates. However, in response to many queries from other developing countries of the world, a geographical expansion started in 2002. New countries are considered for inclusion on an individual basis, the first step being identifying the right body (consortium, library association or National Library) that can prepare the library community for nation-wide access to electronic journals. eIFL.net now includes over 2,200 libraries in more than 40 countries, with a total population of about 800 million. 

The core service of eIFL.net is the provision of access to commercially produced electronic journals and databases. In addition to this, eIFL.net provides a number of additional services, including assessment of information needs, model licenses & guidelines, training and workshops, knowledge and information provision and sharing etc Those wishing for information on how to become a member of eIFL.net should: 

• if their institution is in a country which is already part of eIFL.net get directly in touch with their country coordinator (http://www.eifl.net/countries/countries.html);
• if from new countries contact the eIFL.net Team. 

Electronic Publishing Trust for Development (EPT)

Electronic Publishing Trust for Development [updated March 2004]
Wilmots
Elmton
Worksop S80 4LS
UNITED KINGDOM

Contact: Barbara Kirsop, Secretary EPT

Tel: +44 109 724184 Fax: +44 1909 724190

E-mail: [email protected]  Web: http://www.epublishingtrust.org 

Aims and objectives: The Electronic Publishing Trust for Development (EPT) aims primarily to support the maximum distribution of scientific research generated in developing countries, thus contributing to narrowing the knowledge gap between scientists in the developed and developing regions of the world. It also works to facilitate access to international research by those unable to afford regular journals.

Target audience: scientists worldwide. 

Countries of operation: global. 

Background/origins: EPT was founded in 1996 on the basis of pilot studies carried out by Bioline Publications (UK), (now Bioline International, managed from the University of Toronto) and the Tropical Database (now Centre for Environmental Research Information, CRIA, Brazil), together with publishers and information specialists in collaborating countries. 

Current activities: 

• raising awareness of developments in e-publishing, in particular Open Access (OA) developments (both institutional eprint-servers and open access journals) following the Budapest Open Access Initiative (www.openaccess.org) agreement;
• participating in workshops; maintaining the EPT web site, writing articles and taking all opportunities to promote the importance of current OA developments to close the north to south, south to north and south to south knowledge gaps in science. Links to all major developments on Open Access are maintained on the web site, together with a FAQ on Open Access for developing country authors.

Full texts of the 27 bioscience/medical journals published in 14 developing countries are now available online and free of charge from the non-profit international distributor, Bioline International at www.bioline.org.br . Papers from these journals are also archived on the eprints server at the University of Toronto (bioline.utsc.utoronto.ca), providing maximum visibility and impact for the authors.

Future plans: EPT will continue to raise awareness of developments in e-publishing and work with those promoting the Open Access movement to ensure scientists in the developing countries are informed and supported in participation. In partnership with Bioline International, it will also continue to work with developing country publishers of bioscience and medical journals and welcomes approaches from organisations and publishers that are interested in collaborating. 

New September 2004

ESAP (Electronic Supply of Academic Publications)

ESAP Project
c/o International Association of University Presidents/
International Federation of Catholic Universities
PO Box 9102
6500 HC Nijmegen
NETHERLANDS 

Contact: Ed Simons, General Manager 

Tel: +31 24 3612343 Fax: +31 24 3612757 
E-mail: [email protected]  Web: http://bij.hosting.kun.nl/esap/ 

Electronic Supply of Academic Publications (ESAP) to and from universities in developing regions - is an initiative of the International Association of University Presidents (IAUP), in cooperation with the International Federation of Catholic Universities (IFCU); supported by V.L.I.R.: the Flemish Interuniversity Council (Belgium). 

The eSAP - project is a collaboration project between universities in the North and the South. It has two clear goals: 

• To promote the access to the international scientific journals by means of Internet for universities in developing regions. 
• To supply academics in developing regions with the possibility to electronically publish their articles on the Internet.

One of the aims of eSAP is to provide the participating African universities with a possibility to electronically publish their proper articles and reports on the Internet and thus to make their academic work known and available to the world

The eSAP - project focuses on East - Africa. At the moment 10 universities from the following 5 countries participate in the project: Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe. More specifically, the partici-
pating universities are: 

• Catholic University of Eastern Africa, Nairobi, Kenya 
• Kenyatta University, Nairobi, Kenya 
• Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda 
• Saint Augustine University. Mwanza, Tanzania 
• Sokoine University of Agriculture, Morogoro, Tanzania 
• Uganda Martyrs University, Nkozi, Uganda 
• University of Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania 
• University of Nairobi, Kenya 
• University of Zambia, Lusaka 
• University of Zimbabwe, Harare 

This publication process, now started, will hopefully continue to grow into a real electronic university press for East Africa.

Ghana Book Trust (GBT)

Ghana Book Trust
PO Box LG 536
Legon-Accra
GHANA

Contact: Robert K Amoako, Executive Director

Tel: +233 21 502495 Fax: +233 21 772562

E-mail: [email protected]  

The Ghana Book Trust (GBT) is part of the emerging network of non-governmental organisations in the educational sector in Ghana. Incorporated in 1990 as a non-profit organisation, it operates as a charity for educational purposes.

The GBT has identified a shortage of books and poor reading habits of children as a major weakness in Ghana's educational system and seeks to address this problem with the supply of local and imported books to rural schools and libraries and needy urban institutions. Books are donated primarily by publishers, universities and school boards in Canada and the US and Britain. The Trust selects books from an annotated list of titles supplied by donors.

The GBT in partnership with CODE (Canada), International Book Bank (USA), Books for Africa (USA), Sabre Foundation (USA) and Book Aid International (Britain), works in support of library development throughout Ghana.

Books arrive in Ghana by ship. The Trust takes responsibility for the clearance of containers once they arrive at the port of Tema. The Trust stores and displays the books and materials at its Madina warehouse. In arranging distribution of the items the Trust gives special attention to the most needy institutions in Ghana. Rural schools are considered a priority. Children remain the chief concern of the GBT and receive more than 60% of books distributed.

Membership is open to schools, public and community libraries, special and university libraries. Although the books are free, a membership fee is charged to defray administrative expenses and the cost of freight. Any surplus retained is recycled into the fund and used to purchase Ghanaian books.

Members are invited to the Trust's warehouses in Accra and Kumasi to select appropriate titles in consultation with GBT staff. CODE also provides funds for GBT to procure Ghanaian books. These are donated to primary schools, junior secondary schools and rural community libraries.

Donations are evaluated by means of evaluation forms and follow-up visits. The GBT recognises that the availability of printed materials does not guarantee that readers and learners will have access to and use the materials. Training programmes are therefore organised to teach librarians and library assistants to promote reading and library use.

The book procurement and distribution has been on-going for some time but the training of teachers to increase their skills in the teaching of reading and library management is a new initiative with CODE.

Ford Foundation is currently financing a Children's Library with an electronic component at the premises of the Ghana Book Trust. This is also a new initiative to include a selection of Ghanaian published books on computer for access by children.

The GBT is governed by a local Board of Trustees, which supervises and determines the policies of the Trust.

Institute for African Alternatives (IFAA)

Institute for African Alternatives (IFAA)
Lyndhurst Hall

Warden Road
London NW5 4RE
UNITED KINGDOM

Contact: Dr M Suliman, Director

Tel: +44 20 7482 4660 Fax: +44 20 7482 4662

E-mail: [email protected]  Web: http://www.ifaanet.org/ 

The Institute for African Alternatives (IFAA) was established in 1986 with the purpose of encouraging research and discussion on contemporary problems in Africa. The IFAA is a network institute with a secretariat in London and centres in various African countries.

The IFAA publishes reports, conference proceedings, lectures and occasional papers arising from its own activities. IFAA also has a co-publishing programme of textbooks by African scholars in conjunction with Zed books.

IFAA publishes a bi-monthly bibliography of African books and sends books and journals free to many African universities and scholars.

Intercultural Library – a Charles Léopold Mayer Foundation initiative

The Intercultural Library

c/o Charles Léopold Mayer Foundation
38, rue Saint Sabin
75011 Paris
FRANCE

Contact: Etienne Galliand

Tel: +33 1 4314 7575 Fax: +33 1 4314 7599

E-mail: [email protected]  Web: http://www.intercultural-library.org 

Over the past ten years, the Charles Léopold Mayer Foundation and publishing house have been organising meetings with publishers, authors and institutions all over the world. The goal of these meetings has been to provide a forum for a wide range of discussions and suggestions for intercultural projects, and to outline possible collaborative ventures, which will focus on global issues and international concerns.

A project, the Intercultural Library, has been developed to create a new type of intercultural dialogue. Three main strands of the project are:

1. A wholly multicultural production process for collaborative works or series of works: published material will take on a variety of forms, but each work (or series of works) will be characterised by a production process involving a number of international workshops bringing together partners from at least two cultures. Participating publishers will then publish the work, or works, in their respective languages.

At present there are three categories of activity underway:

• intercultural surveys, e.g. Peace – on which Latin American and French partners have been working since 1997;

• Communications and Social Solidarity – based on the work of a Brazilian, Belgian, French, Indian and South African team;

• works on the terminology of the intercultural dialogue, e.g. A Comparative Dictionary of Historical Terms in Russian, English, German and French; Stories of Women from Five Continents. 

2. A programme to encourage innovation in the translation and adaptation of works on the challenges of our era:

• Publishing & Development – a collection of texts on the difficulties of publishing in poorer countries, through Obor (the International Book Institute) and Charles Léopold Mayer Foundation the book will add local data on problems in Indonesia, North Africa, Pakistan, Thailand and Vietnam;

• On Questions of Government – a collaborative book in Arabic will be published in one or more volumes;

• On Science and Technology – an adaptation of L'État des Sciences et des Techniques is envisaged, to be adapted to the context of Latin America in general.

3. The creation of an international alliance of publishers with a brief to devise and publish works which propose constructive solutions to contemporary global problems: the synergy of such an alliance would be maintained through a programme of regular meetings. In order to achieve its intercultural objectives, the Intercultural Library proposed a series of meetings of all publishers involved in the programme.

The first international meeting took place in November 2001, in Paris. More than 60 publishers and translators, from Latin America, Asia, Africa and Europe, worked together for four days. The next General Meeting of the Intercultural Library will be held in 2003 in Alexandria, Egypt.

During this enthusiastic inaugural meeting (the events of 11 September having highlighted the urgent need for constructive intercultural dialogue – a goal the Intercultural Library has been working towards for several years) the participants agreed on the main shared principles that form the basis of their present and future joint projects, and on the means required to implement them. The agreed principles fall within four broad headings, namely: defence of the independence of publishers; importance of the translation process in intercultural exchange; promotion of the culture of solidarity and information sharing; and the promotion of fair trade between professionals in the book industry. Priority investment will be made in projects bringing together publishers in the South (e.g. in Latin America and in Africa) and in co-edition projects between publishers from the South and those from the North.

International Book Bank (IBB)

International Book Bank

2201 Eagle Street, Unit D
Baltimore, MD 21223
USA

Contact: Bradley Vogt, Director

Tel: + 1 410 362 0334 Fax: +1 410 362 0336

E-mail: [email protected] 

Web: http://www.InternationalBookBank.org 

The International Book Bank (IBB) was established in 1987 with the purpose of procuring new and used books from US publishers, dealers and school systems for donation to needy and developing countries throughout the world. The organisation procures and ships educational materials directly to overseas recipients as well as on behalf of other book sending agencies. It has affiliations with Books for Africa, Brother to Brother International, Brother's Brother Foundation, the Canadian Organisation for Development through Education (CODE), Pan Am Development Foundation, and World Vision.

IBB is a distribution service for books and other educational materials donated by North American publishing companies and the education communities. IBB distributes these materials to non-government, non-profit organisations and groups who:

• distribute to institutions such as schools and community libraries in developing countries around the world;

• make them available for use by individuals in school, community, university or institutional libraries.

Most books donated to IBB are new, and all are carefully screened for physical condition and content before being added to its inventory. Each title (25 copies or more) is entered into IBB's computer database system.

Although the books themselves are free, recipient organisations pay a cost recovery fee based on the costs incurred by IBB to procure, process and ship the books. Recipient organisations make their selections from a computerised book list that includes title, subject, academic level, publication date, quantity available and any special features. The book list system creates a partnership that involves overseas recipients in the process, instead of forcing recipients to accept materials that may not be wanted or needed.

On receipt of inventory selections, the books are packed and shipped to the recipient. Books are usually shipped in a 20 foot sea container with a holding capacity of 20,000 books.

International Book Project (IBP)

International Book Project [updated June 2005]
1440 Delaware Avenue
Lexington, Kentucky 40505
USA 

Contact: Executive Director: Lynda Jeffries
Tel: +1 859 254 6771 or Toll Free on 888-999-BOOK (2665)
Fax: +1 859 253 2293
E-mail: [email protected]  Web: http://www.internationalbookproject.org 

Founded in 1966, the International Book Project (IBP), Inc. boasts a long and successful history of supplying books worldwide. It is a non-profit organisation that distributes books to virtually any location in the developing world. It sends basic subject textbooks of the pre-kindergarten through the graduate school level, as well as library books, nursing and medical books, and popular and technical journals. Requests are received from schools, universities, study groups, hospitals, clinics, churches, organisations, and libraries. The friendships, created across the globe, have been the centerpiece of IBP's mission to broaden Americans' understanding of their neighbours, promote education and literacy, and strengthen world unity. IBP's unique tracking systems links American contributors with foreign book recipients, establishing relationships that often endure for years.

By providing needed, quality books to the peoples of the developing world, the International Book Project seeks to:

• promote education and literacy in developing countries and in areas of need in the United States;

• broaden Americans' understanding of their neighbours;

• foster global friendships and strengthen world unity.

In 2003 IBP distributed 108,968 books to nearly 100 developing countries and to areas in need in the U.S. IBP shipped container shipments to Thailand, Guatemala and India. In addition, IBP shipped almost 700 smaller shipments to needy organisations in the most remote areas of the developing world. IBP, and its partners and donors across the world, helped make a total contribution of educational materials valued at over $3.0 million in 2003. 

International Federation of Library Associations – Advancement of Librarianship Programme (IFLA – ALP)

[updated March 2004]
International Federation of Library Associations – Advancement of Librarianship Programme (IFLA-ALP) 
c/o Uppsala University Library
Box 510
751 20 Uppsala
SWEDEN

Contact: Birgitta Sandell

Tel: +46 18 471 3989/3990 Fax: +46 18 471 3994

E-mail: [email protected]  Web: http://www.ifla.org/VI/1/alp.htm 

The purpose of IFLA's Advancement of Librarianship Programme is to further the library profession, library institutions and library and information services in developing countries. The ALP is hosted by Uppsala University in Sweden, and works closely with regional offices in Dakar, Bangkok and Sao Paulo. 

In the medium-term programme of the ALP the following major goals have been identified:

• to assist library staff, library schools and library associations in education and training programmes;

• to promote the establishment and development of library and information services to the public with particular attention to the needs of rural and urban marginal areas;

• to encourage a greater involvement and identification of libraries with literacy work.

Africa

One of the ALP's goals in Africa is to create a better knowledge about the state and needs of the library and information sector in all of Africa. ALP has therefore arranged two pan-African conferences and is trying to create networks which can encourage further cooperation within Africa. A series of microcomputer workshops has been held and there are model projects concerning school libraries.

Asia and Oceania

In Asia and Oceania ALP has a programme of scholarships in information Literacy/IT and an attachment programme. An example of a pilot project is the Thai-Lao project on books for young people where publishers, illustrators, writers, storytellers, librarians and teachers have cooperated. 

Latin America and the Caribbean

One of ALP's goals in Latin America and the Caribbean is to improve understanding of the state and needs of the different library and information sectors in the region. ALP has supported three seminars for the whole region and one Ibero-American meeting and is building networks for future cooperation.

IFLA-ALP publishes an ALP Project Report Series and the regional offices publish regional newsletters.

International Federation of Library Associations – IFLA Regional Office, Africa

International Federation of Library Associations - IFLA Regional Office, Africa [updated Sept 2004]
Dakar University Library
BP 2006
Dakar
SENEGAL 

Contact: M Henri Sene 

Tel: +221 824 69 81 Fax: +221 824 23 79 
E-mail: [email protected]  or [email protected]  Web: http://www.ifla.org  

As the regional office for the International Federation of Library Associations (IFLA), the Africa Regional Office promotes and supports library cooperation and human resources development in Africa. IFLA works in close cooperation with the Africa section in order to serve as an effective link between IFLA African members and others with an interest in library development in Africa. 

The Africa Regional Office works throughout Africa with IFLA African members, African national library associations, libraries in African countries, and all individuals and institutions worldwide with an interest in library development in Africa. It manages a clearinghouse and circulates IFLA publications among its members in the African region. These include the Newsletter of IFLA Africa Section, which is published twice a year (July/December) and is distributed free of charge. 

As the regional office for the International Federation of Library Associations (IFLA), the Africa Regional Office promotes and the advancement of library and information profession and Services in Africa. Its specific objective for 2004 - 2005 is to promote and support the creation of knowledge society in Africa.

Its goals are to:

• promote and support development of programmes and strategies for literacy and information campaigns in Africa; 
• create an educated, competent and self renewing library and information profession in Africa
• promote IT application in libraries and close electronic gap;
• promote documentation and preservation of indigenous knowledge and to advocate for moral rights, intellectual property and copyright for indigenous knowledge;
• support and strengthen National Library Associations and to promote IFLA activities in the region.

The Africa Regional Office plans in future to facilitate strengthening of national library associations by encouraging exchange of information, mutual support and continuing education through subregional library associations. It also seeks to encourage the development and/or adaptation of national information policies to developments in information technology. 

Chairperson: Ms Jacinta Were, University Nairobi Library, POBox 30197, Nairobi, Kenya
E-mail: [email protected]  
Secretary: Ms Sarah Kagoda-Batuwa , East African Community Secretariat, PO Box 1096, Arusha, Tanzania E-mail: [email protected] 

Intra-African Book Support Scheme (IABSS)

Intra-African Book Support Scheme [updated March 2004]
c/o African Books Collective Ltd
The Jam Factory
27 Park End Street
Oxford OX1 1HU
UNITED KINGDOM

Contact: Mary Jay

Tel: +44 1865 726686 Fax: +44 1865 793298

E-mail: [email protected]  Web: www.africanbookscollective.com

Established in 1991 with financial support from the donor organisations, Charity Projects (Comic Relief), UK and Danida, Denmark, this book donation scheme is run in partnership between African Books Collective (ABC) and Book Aid International. A number of donors support the programme. The current phase is for four years from 2001/2.

The objectives of the Scheme are to:

• enhance partners' capacity to provide appropriate services to end users and help overcome shortages of culturally relevant books in libraries in Africa;

• raise awareness of materials published in Africa within and between countries, and promote intra-African trade in books;

• support independent African publishers through sales revenue.

Currently, fiction and children's books are included. Book Aid International works with partners in African countries on selections, which are largely selected by recipients from sample packs of books.

Scholarly/academic titles were included up to 2002. Funding is being sought to re-start this part of the scheme which supported African academic libraries, who suffer severe constraints in acquiring African-published books. The libraries selected titles from African publishers participating in ABC, giving them core collections in their selected fields. Thirty academic libraries in 15 African countries benefited.

The scheme is probably unique for a donation scheme in that it comprises only African-published material, resulting in African books crossing borders. This helps to ensure that students and scholars in one part of Africa gain access to the scope and vitality of African publishing from other parts of the continent. The scheme supports and stimulates African publishing. 

Given the practical difficulties of distribution within Africa, it is simple, practical and efficient to promote the flow of books through ABC, from 80 African publishers in 17 African countries. In promoting awareness amongst librarians of what is available, and amongst publishers about book needs, the scheme aims in the longer term to promote intra-African trade. 

Journal Donation Project (JDP)

Journal Donation Project [Updated April 2004]
New School University
Graduate Faculty
65 Fifth Avenue, Rm 416
New York, NY 10003
USA 

Contact: Professor Arien Mack, Director

Tel: +1 212 229 5789 Fax: +1 212 229 5476

E-mail: [email protected] 
Web: http://www.newschool.edu/centers/jdp.htm 

The Journal Donation Project (JDP), based at the New School University, Graduate Faculty was launched in 1990 by Professor Arien Mack, to assist in rebuilding major research and teaching libraries throughout countries of the former Soviet Union, through the provision of current subscriptions to English -language scholarly, professional and current events journals. One of the principle aims of the Project has been to create the best possible scholarly resources at recipient libraries; another has been to identify libraries dedicated to change and the opening of archives. Thus, all of the libraries within the network - national, university, academy of science and public libraries - have been selected as sites where users would have the greatest possible access to the journals provided. The journals serve to connect scholars, students, and professionals to a global community of research and debate, and thereby contribute to the crucial task of reconnecting them with the mainstream of modern intellectual life.

The goal of the project was and is to provide major research and teaching libraries with current key journals published in the West until they are able to procure materials with their own resources. Until 1995, the Project was based entirely upon the donation of subscriptions by publishers and editors. In 1996, however, the Project introduced a reduced-cost subscription program, in which participating publishers now offer discounts that average over 50%. The number of publishers participating in these ways is continuously increasing. 

Today, the JDP represents a major international library assistance programme, with over 2,000 different English-language journals in the social sciences, humanities, law, public policy, business, technology, agriculture and medicine. Additionally, over 90% of the print titles provided by the Project are accompanied by complimentary electronic subscriptions. Through an agreement with EBSCO/eIFL the Project is able to provide three large online databases - Academic Search Premier, Business Source Premier and MEDLINE - to its network libraries. 

Currently, the Project's library network is comprised of over 300 libraries throughout 30 countries, in the former Soviet Union, Eastern and Central Europe and more recently Ghana, Nigeria and Iran. Through JDP, these libraries receive approximately 6,000 subscriptions annually.

La Joie par les Livres, Intercultural Division

La Joie par les Livres, Intercultural Division [updated March 2004]
361 avenue du General de Gaulle
92140 Clamart
FRANCE

Contact: Viviana Quiñones, Marie Laurentin, Hasmig Chahinian

Tel: +33 1 40 831462/4/5 Fax: +33 1 40 940404

E-mail: [email protected] 

Web: http://www.lajoieparleslivres.com 

The Intercultural Division of la Joie par les livres*, created in 1986 supports children's books and reading in sub-Saharan African countries and, more recently, in the Arab world. It is a permanent meeting point for people working to promote books and reading for young people: librarians, publishers, writers, illustrators, booksellers, teachers, parents and others. To this end the intercultural division offers the following services: 

• a resource centre: with a collection of African children's books published in French and local languages, books about Africa published in France, reference books on children's reading in Africa, and information about reading and children; a collection of children's books from and about Arab countries, in Arabic and in French; 
• a permanent exchange network of around 90 libraries in 15 African countries, for analysing and selecting reading material for children: critical reading of material sent in book boxes, promotion of reading activities in libraries; 
• promotion of African creation and publishing for children: 
• annotated bibliographies of children's books published in francophone Africa and in the Arab world, updated every year; 
• directories L'édition africaine pour la jeunesse (in French and local languages) and L'édition pour la jeunesse dans les pays arabes (in French and in Arabic)
• exhibitions of African books and of books from the Arab world.
• organisation of the first exhibition of African illustrators for Bologna Fair in 1999; publishing of the French-English Amabhuku catalogue of African illustrations including a directory of 176 African illustrators and a directory of publishers for children in sub-Saharan Africa; 
• editing of a travelling poster exhibition French-English 34 African illustrators and a booklet in French and in English African literature for young people, both covering all sub-Saharan Africa, published by Adpf;
• management of programmes of financial help to African publishers for children (3rd programme in 2003); 
• training: workshops in African countries and in France; 
• counselling to French donors and partners of African libraries; 
• publications, including an annual magazine, Takam tikou: information, annotated bibliographies of books from Africa and the Arab countries and other books suitable for libraries, articles on children's books, reading, creation and publishing in African countries and in the Arab world. Distributed in and out of Africa (free of charge in Africa and in the Arab world). 

La Joie par les livres' main body, currently attached to the French Minister of Culture and Communication, has actively promoted children's access to books and reading, independent from commercial interest since 1965. It runs a library for children in the suburbs of Paris, the French National Centre for Children's Books, the magazine La Revue des livres pour enfants, training programmes, the French section of IBBY and a website. 

LINK

64 Ennersdale Road [Updated June 2004]
London SE13 6JD
UNITED KINGDOM

Contact: Gill Harris

Tel: +44 20 7733 3577

E-mail: [email protected] 

LINK is a group or network of librarians who have worked, or are working, in the Third World. It aims to be an informed, experienced and realistic forum that will raise awareness of Third World library issues within the information-related professions of the North. It aims to link librarians and libraries in the South with colleagues worldwide, for their mutual benefit and to provide support, briefing and continuing information to individuals who intend to do information work in developing countries.

Specific objectives and activities of the group include:

• Raising awareness among professional bodies and related organisations in the information world.
• Raising awareness among individual librarians through personal contact and other activities, such as talks, articles and meetings.
• Raising awareness among staff and students of library schools.
• Providing information and support to individuals before, during and after their work overseas.
• Supporting students, librarians and information workers from developing countries who are in the UK.
• Supporting librarians and information workers in developing countries.
• Producing a newsletter Link-Up (free to library and information workers in developing countries) to inform, link and support participants' activities.
• Producing a directory of network participants and other resources that can facilitate the main aims of the network.

New September 2004

Million Book Digital Library Project

Million Book Digital Library Project 
Wean Hall 5325 
School of Computer Science
Carnegie Mellon University
Pittsburgh, PA 15213-3891
USA

Contact: Raj Reddy

Tel:/Fax: +1 412 268 2597 / +1 412 683 5348
E-mail: [email protected]  Web: http://www.rr.cs.cmu.edu/mbdl.htm 

The objective of the Million Book Digital Library Project of this project is to create a free-to-read, searchable collection of one million books, primarily in the English language, available to everyone over the Internet by 2005. This task is accomplished by scanning the books and indexing their full text. The text file is created, where possible, through optical character recognition. The result will be a unique resource, supplementing formal education systems by making knowledge available to anyone who can read and has access. Moreover, the project will produce an extensive and rich testbed for use in further textual language processing research. It is also hoped that at least 10,000 books among the million will be available in more than one language, providing a key testing area for problems in example-based machine translation. This is a joint project of Carnegie Mellon University, the National Science Foundation, and the governments of India and China. The result will be a unique resource accessible to anyone in the world at any time, without regard to nationality or socioeconomic background. 

Netherlands Periodicals Project (NPP)

Netherlands Periodicals Project
Kortenaerkade 11
PO Box 29777
2502 LT The Hague
NETHERLANDS

Contact: Ingrid van Elst, Coordinator

Tel: +31 70 4260 169 Fax: +31 70 4260 189

E-mail: [email protected]  Web: http://www.nuffic.nl 

NUFFIC was founded by Dutch universities in 1952 in order to stimulate and encourage international cooperation in higher education. Under its long-term programme of support to higher education and research in developing countries NUFFIC, since 1983, has been operating the Netherlands Periodicals Project (NPP).

The NPP desk is familiar with the needs for scientific literature (primarily scientific journals) of a number of university libraries in the South. The project is aimed at the well-directed acquisition of these periodicals from libraries of Dutch institutions for education and research and at matching the material offered with the requests of a selected group of institutions in developing countries. In this sense the project is entirely request-led.

The project also runs a `delayed subscription' service with which it aims to be able to guarantee the donation of specific journals to fixed recipients.

The majority of the NPP shipments go to destinations in Africa but relations are also maintained with universities and research institutions in Asia and Latin America. For institutions to become recipients in the project they have to be a counterpart in one of the long-term programmes for international cooperation in higher education funded by the Netherlands Ministry for Development Cooperation. In reality the project works with a more or less fixed core group of around thirty institutions. The most important counterparts are situated in Bolivia, Costa Rica, Eritrea, Burkina Faso, India, Kenya, Mozambique, Philippines, Tanzania, Vietnam and Zambia.

Despatch is by sea-mail and distribution is handled in-country by Dutch embassies where possible. The recipients themselves are responsible for distribution of the goods. Recipients are asked to return an evaluation form that is sent to them around the date of arrival of the shipment. This is done both as a check of the contents, for the benefit of the project administration, and as acknowledgement of the safe arrival of the goods.

Nigerian Book Foundation (NBF)

Nigerian Book Foundation
4 Ezi-Ajana Lane (Umukwa)
PO Box 1132
Awka, Anambra State
NIGERIA

Contact: Professor Chukwuemeka Ike, President

Tel: + 234 48 552935 Fax: +234 48 552615

E-mail: [email protected]  Web: n/a

The Nigerian Book Foundation (NBF), a non-governmental, non-profit organisation, was established in 1991 with the purpose of dedicating itself to indigenous book development in response to what was perceived to be a crisis facing the book industry in Nigeria at that time. It commenced full operations 3 years later. Governed by a board of trustees it is also served by a national advisory council, which as the professional arm of the foundation, identifies and prioritises projects and activities in support of its objectives. Presidents of the five major professional associations in the book industry – authors, publishers, printers, booksellers and librarians – are ex officio members of the council, as are the national librarian and president of the foundation.

Funding permitting, the NAC meets to discuss major developments affecting national book development and to propose appropriate lines of action for the foundation and the entire book community. Its activities include:

• an annual National Book Week – each with a specific theme and comprising:

• a national conference on book development devoted to that theme

• annual national awards for book development – e.g. award for the promotion of the reading culture, outstanding achievement award;

• Children's Book Day was introduced in 1995 and has been held every year since.

• the Nigerian Book Fair Trust, set up in September 1998 at the instance of the NBF, has taken over responsibility for organising the book week , with NBF involvement, the intention being to transform the book week into an international book fair as from May 2002

• a Book Data Centre – was set up as a clearinghouse on all matters relating to book development in Nigeria. In 1998 it published the maiden edition of the Directory of Nigerian Book Development which provides a comprehensive listing of authors, publishing houses, book printing presses, bookshops and book distribution organisations and libraries in Nigeria.

• NBF forum on books – on occasion half day meetings are held to discuss specific issues of immediate concern to national book development e.g. a forum held in Ibadan

• a Resource Centre – with book support from Book Aid International and furniture provided by the Heinrich Böll Foundation, the Foundation has established a modest resource centre. The necessary resources becoming available, it is hoped that this might develop into a resource and training centre.

• promotion of the Reading Culture in Nigeria – funded by the Heinrich Böll Foundation and after an initial two-year trial period, NBF has over the last three years been implementing a programme (1998 – 2000) for the promotion of the culture of reading books. This has entailed setting up three reading promotion units located in the east, west and north of the country for the purpose of organising mobile reading centres in different rural and urban locations in conjunction with other activities, e.g. community reading workshops, school debates and quizzes.

Publications

The Foundation contributes to the pool of knowledge on indigenous book development through the publication of relevant books. The following books have been published:

Making Books Reading Available and Affordable (1995)

Creating A Conducive Environment for Book Publishing (1996)

Meeting the Book Needs of the Rural Family (1997)

Directory of Nigerian Book Development (1998)

The Book in 21^st Century Nigeria and Universal Basic Education (2000)

Creating and Sustaining A Reading Culture (2000)


New January 2005

Pakistan Library Automation Group (PakLAG)

Pakistan Library Automation Group
c/o National University of Computer and Emerging Sciences (FAST-NU)
852-B Faisal Town,
Lahore-54700
PAKISTAN

Contact: Mr. Muhammad Ajmal Khan, Secretary General

Tel: +92 42 111128128/210 Fax: +92 42 5167804
E-mail: [email protected] , [email protected]  
Web: http://www.paklag.org
E-mail Group: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/plagpk/  

Pakistan Library Automation Group, a successor of Library Automation Group (LAG) launched by the Netherlands Library Development Programme, was established in 2000. PakLAG, the brainchild of a professional librarian, was set up with the help other library professionals, now a committed team of more than 20 professionals serving both librarians and the library profession as volunteers. PLAG has its own domain.

OBJECTIVES

• To provide technical/professional advice to libraries in their automation programmes.
• To advise/recommend computer training programmes for librarians so as to help them to automate their libraries.
• To develop library automation projects.
• To coordinate library automation activities in the country.
• To coordinate library automation activities with the international organisations.
• To provide information and conduct research/studies on library automation.

Its activities include:

• Automation of libraries with Library Information Management System (LIMS) - a unique library system that has been designed, developed, implemented and fully tested by library professionals. The Group not only distributes the software free of charge but also provides training and support. LIMS is being used in more than 50 libraries;
• Online Directory of Library Professionals in Pakistan;
• Pak LIS News - a publication of Pakistan Library Automation Group and freely available online;
• E-mail group for the dissemination of information related to the library profession and professionals;
• Online links and resources.

New September 2004

Public Library of Science (PloS)

Public Library of Science
185 Berry Street
Suite 1300
San Francisco, CA 94107
USA

Tel: +1 415 624 1200 Fax: +1 415 546 4090
E-mail: [email protected]  Web: http://www.plos.org/ 

The Public Library of Science (PLoS) is a non-profit organisation of scientists and physicians committed to making the world's scientific and medical literature a freely available public resource. The Internet and electronic publishing enable the creation of public libraries of science containing the full text and data of any published research article, available free of charge to anyone, anywhere in the world. Immediate unrestricted access to scientific ideas, methods, results, and conclusions will speed the progress of science and medicine, and will more directly bring the benefits of research to the public. 

PLoS is working with scientists, their societies, funding agencies, and other publishers to pursue our broader goal of ensuring an open-access home for every published article and to develop tools to make the literature useful to scientists and the public. 

Its goals are to: 

• open the doors to the world's library of scientific knowledge by giving any scientist, physician, patient, or student - anywhere in the world - unlimited access to the latest scientific research. 
• facilitate research, informed medical practice, and education by making it possible to freely search the full text of every published article to locate specific ideas, methods, experimental results, and observations. 
• enable scientists, librarians, publishers, and entrepreneurs to develop innovative ways to explore and use the world's treasury of scientific ideas and discoveries. 

The mission of the Public Library of Science is to make the original published reports of ideas, discoveries, and research results in the life sciences and medicine (and eventually other fields) freely available online, without restrictions on use or further distribution, free from private or government control.

PloS has launched a nonprofit scientific publishing venture that will provide scientists with high-quality, high-profile journals in which to publish their most important work, while making the full contents freely available for anyone to read, distribute, or use for their own research. It is to publish its own journals. PLoS Biology was launched in October 2003 in print and online with PLoS Medicine is to follow in late 2004.

The PLoS journals will retain all of the important features of scientific journals, including rigorous peer review and high editorial and production standards, but will use a new publishing model that will allow PLoS to make all published works immediately available online, with no charges for access or restrictions on subsequent redistribution or use.PLoS Biology and PLoS Medicine will also be unique in their effort to reach an audience beyond the scientific and medical communities. Every research article will be paired with a synopsis written for a general audience. In addition, selected articles will be accompanied by primers written as a concise introduction to an important aspect of biology that is of broad and current interest.

Publishing Training Centre (formerly Book House Training Centre)

Publishing Training Centre [updated March 2004]
45 East Hill
Wandsworth
London SW18 2QZ
UNITED KINGDOM

Contact: John Whitley, Chief Executive

Tel: +44 20 8874 2718 Fax: +44 20 8870 8985

E-mail: [email protected]  

Web: http://www.train4publishing.co.uk 

The Publishing Training Centre is an autonomous self-financing organisation, and is administered by a board of management, and is recognised by the UK government and the Publishers' Association as the training provider for the sector. 

PTC exists primarily to satisfy the training needs of the book and journal publishing industry in Britain. Following close consultation with the industry through advisory committees and informal contacts it offers a wide range of short training courses encompassing publishing and management skills. Currently over 60 courses are presented covering the following broad topics: foundation skills, editorial, publishing and the law, category publishing, electronic publishing, production, computers in publishing, marketing, distribution and management. 

The Centre is a founder member of the Association of Bookseller and Publisher Training Organisations in Europe and has developed occupational standards of competence for job functions specific to publishing. 

PTC has undertaken consultancy in the Caribbean, Greece and Poland on children's book publishing and profitable publishing and has run a number of courses overseas (Africa, Latin America, Kazakhstan, South-east Asia, Mexico, New Zealand, West, Central and East Europe) on a number of publishing topics including editorial skills, marketing and the development of commercial publishing. 

A range of distance learning packages in Proofreading, Editing and Copywriting, has also been developed, and further packages on Picture Research, Copyright and Editorial Project Management are in development. 

A one-stop shop for all the best titles on publishing is also accessible from The PTC. The BPB (Book Publishing Books) catalogue is available on request or can be browsed on the internet. 

Sabre Foundation, Inc.

Sabre Foundation, Inc. [updated April 2004]
872 Massachusetts Avenue, Suite 2-1
Cambridge, MA 02139
USA

Contact: Tania Vitvitsky, Project Director

Tel: +1 617 868 3510 Fax: +1 617 868 7916

E-mail: [email protected]  / [email protected] Web: http://www.sabre.org/ 

Sabre Foundation, Inc., founded in 1969, works to build free institutions and to examine the ideals that sustain them. Its largest project makes millions of dollars' worth of donated books available to needy individuals in developing and transitional societies worldwide through non-governmental partner organisations, libraries, universities, schools, research organisations and other similar institutions. 

Sabre's Book Donation Program strives to increase access to information resources in developing and transitional societies through large-scale distribution of in-kind donations of new books and other educational materials. Working closely with overseas non-profit partner organisations in Eastern Europe, the former Soviet Union, Africa and select other regions of the world, Sabre has to date shipped new books, journals, CD-ROMS and early learning materials to more than 60 countries. 
18 million books were shipped in 2003.

Through its Library and Information Technology Services, Sabre helps organisations in these regions take advantage of rapidly evolving Internet and related information technologies. Sabre also sponsors domestic and international symposia and philosophical publications which explore the nature and accountability of free institutions.

SARDC: Southern African Research and Documentation Centre

Southern African Research and Documentation Centre [updated Sept 2004]
15 Downie Avenue
Belgravia
Box 5690
Harare
ZIMBABWE

Contact: Phyllis Johnson 

Tel: + 263 4 791141 / 791143 Fax: +263 4 791271
E-mail: [email protected]  Web: http://www.sardc.net/  

Southern African Research and Documentation Centre (SARDC) is an independent regional information resource centre which seeks to enhance the effectiveness of key development processes in the SADC region through the collection, production and dissemination of information, and enabling the capacity to generate and use information. Its objective is to improve the base of knowledge about economic, political, cultural and social developments, and their implications, by making information accessible to governments and policy makers, non-governmental organisations, the private sector, regional and international organisations, development agencies, parliaments, and media. 

SARDC has five main areas of focus which are pursued by separate specialist departments for environment and water resources, gender, democracy and governance, regional economic development, and human development, in partnership with other institutions including the Southern African Development Community (SADC) secretariat and sectors, IUCN-The World Conservation Union, United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and networks of national partners in SADC member states. 

Reliable and accessible information relevant to the SADC region is generated through a process of participation, networking, wide consultation and ownership, and targeted dissemination, reaching into national, regional and global policy processes. 

SARDC has an information resource centre containing over 12,000 subject files on regional issues, a library of books and periodicals, and computerised databases in WIN-ISIS; and is establishing a "virtual library" of internet access to its resources. 

SARDC has 15 years of institutional experience in documenting, analysing and communicating trends in regional development, in publishing and distributing the results, and monitoring impact, as well as recognised financial accountability, a range of qualified staff from the SADC region and an extensive network of partner organisations and contacts. Language capacity in English and Portuguese. 

Southern African Book Development Education Trust (SABDET)

Southern African Book Development Education Trust (SABDET) [updated March 2004]
26 Bewdley Street
London
N1 1HB
UNITED KINGDOM

Contact: Paul Westlake

Tel/Fax: +44 20 7607 1993

E-mail: [email protected]  Web: http://homepages.poptel.org.uk/sabdet/ 

SABDET is a UK-based charitable educational trust, founded in 1993. Its aim is to raise awareness and understanding of the importance of indigenous publishing in Africa.

SABDET tries to build a South-North dimension into all its activities and to support co-operation in book publishing and distribution between the industrialised world and Africa. The Trust works with partners in Africa and internationally in pursuing its aims, including the Zimbabwe International Book Fair (ZIBF), and the African Publishers' Network (APNET).

In particular, SABDET seeks to act as a catalyst and animator, bringing people together, raising ideas, and pushing African book and publishing-related issues up the agenda.

SABDET's activities up to now include:

• Education and awareness-raising events and initiatives, including convening and organising a series of seminars at the London Book Fair on an African book industry-related theme;
• Reading Africa, a nationwide initiative to promote reading of African books, inspired by the ZIBF's Africa's 100 Best Books of the 20th Century;
• Launching the African Scholarship at ZIBF initiative in support of scholarly publishing in Africa;
• Supporting participation by African publishers in the ZIBF and other international book events;
• Supporting initiatives to expand electronic publishing for African journal and book publishers.

Current SABDET Programmes:

Education Programme
SABDET's education programme is at the heart of its work. The Trust organises seminars, workshops and occasional events in the UK, including its seminar series at the London Book Fair. This has raised the profile of African publishing at the Fair and helped to bring together a broad community of interest in African book development. The seminars have often reflected the theme of the forthcoming Zimbabwe International Book Fair, and past topics have included reading promotion, book marketing and selling, gender issues in book development, children's publishing and libraries. Various outreach events have enabled guests from the African book and publishing industry to meet and dialogue with a wide audience.

Reading Africa
The Reading Africa campaign, due to be launched at the 2004 London Book Fair, aims to stimulate interest in African books and provide resources for learning more about African writing and publishing. The programme includes reading promotion, using a selection of titles from African writers; the promotion of links between public libraries in Africa and the UK; activities to encourage book fairs and literary festivals to include African writers in their events programmes; and professional seminars and conferences aimed at librarians and reading development specialists. Reading Africa is supported by the Arts Council of England and SABDET's partners in developing the programme are the British Council and Book Aid International.

Support for African Scholarship & Scholarly Publishing
The African Scholarship at ZIBF initiative was launched at the 1998 Zimbabwe International Book Fair. It seeks to engage the academic community in book development activity, in support of scholarship and scholarly publishing in Africa. SABDET's role is that of facilitator and animator for the initiative. Its support has included establishing an emailing discussion list and initiating events at the ZIBF and in the UK and USA. These have included research seminars on children in Africa and women and the environment, a training workshop on book and peer review, and debates on the publication of African scholarly research, marketing African scholarship, and non-fiction writing and publishing in Africa. Future plans include a panel at the 2004 conference of the African Studies Association of the UK and, subject to funding, a training workshop on scholarly publishing.

Electronic Publishing in Africa
SABDET has worked with the Electronic Publishing Trust for Development (EPT), to support African scholarly journals in exploring the potential of on-line publishing. Four journals have been put on line through this partnership programme, two in Zimbabwe, one in Kenya and one in South Africa.

Other Projects
Past work by the Trust has included travel grants for African publishers to take part in the Zimbabwe International Book Fair, and support for African scholarly journal publishing through the African Periodicals Exhibit (APEX), a collective marketing initiative at the ZIBF.

SABDET's Trustees represent a broad cross-section of interests including book and publishing development, literature and culture, education and scholarship. They are based in the UK and in Africa.

Southern African Book Exchange Centre (Sabec)

Southern African Book Exchange Centre
State Library
PO Box 397
Pretoria, 0001
SOUTH AFRICA

Contact: Marinda van Schalkwyk

Tel: +27 12 21 8931 Fax: +27 12 325 5984
Email: [email protected] 

Sabec (the Southern African Book Exchange Centre) receives and distributes surplus and little-used books and periodicals from Southern African libraries, publishers, individuals and other resources, sorts and lists them, and makes them available to its members at affordable handling fees.

Sabec deals in fiction and non-fiction, serials in volumes as well as single numbers and government and provincial gazettes and other government publications.

It is necessary to be a Sabec member to request or supply material. Members requesting material pay an annual registration fee, the handling fees of the publications ordered and the postage. Those who wish to supply material only are exempt from the registration fee but must register in any case.

UNESCO Coupons Office

UNESCO Coupons Office
7 place de Fontenoy
75700 Paris
FRANCE

Tel: +33 1 45 68 10 00 Fax: +33 1 45 67 16 90

Web: http://www.unesco.org/general/eng/about/coupon/ 

Recognising that shortage of foreign currency hinders the import of books, publications and scientific material, UNESCO introduced a coupon system whereby coupons, whose value is expressed in US dollars, can be purchased with national currency by educators, research workers and students. In every user country there is a body responsible for the sale of the coupons; as a rule this is the National Commission for UNESCO. The agency supplies information on request concerning the purchase of the coupons. In cases where there is a limited allocation of coupons the agency decides on an order of priority for the various requests received.

Users pay for the coupons in national currency at the official United Nations rate of exchange on the day of purchase. National distributing bodies may add a surcharge to cover handling charges but this may not exceed 5 per cent of the value of the coupons.

Many publishers, booksellers and companies that produce educational, scientific and cultural material will accept UNESCO coupons on payment. Coupon users should send the supplier their order with coupons corresponding to the price of the material including, where necessary, the cost of insurance and postage.

UNESCO Information for All Programme

Information for All Programme [Updated April 2004]
UNESCO Communication and Information Sector
7 place de Fontenoy
75352 Paris 07 SP
FRANCE

Contact: Abdelaziz Abid

Tel: +33 1 45 68 44 96 Fax: +33 1 45 68 55 83

E-mail: [email protected]  Web: http://www.unesco.org/webworld/ifap/ 

As of 1 January 2001, the Information for All Programme has replaced the General Information Programme and the Intergovernmental Informatics Programme.

UNESCO's Information for All Programme, which operates within UNESCO's Communication and Information Sector, provides a platform for international policy discussions and guidelines for action on:

• preservation of information and universal access to it;

• participation of all in the emerging global information society;

• ethical, legal and societal consequences of ICT developments.

The Information for All Programme provides a framework for international co-operation and international and regional partnerships. It supports the development of common strategies, methods and tools for building a just and free information society and for narrowing the gap between the information rich and the information poor.

The Information for All Programme is a key element in the fulfillment of UNESCO's mandate to contribute to `education for all', to the `free exchange of ideas and knowledge' and to `increase the means of communication between peoples'.

Information Society Division – WEBWORLD website

The Information Society Division ensures the development of UNESCO's work in the areas of scientific and technological information, documentation, libraries and archives. Its activities deal mainly with improving access to information; developing tools for information processing and transfer; developing the utilisation of databases; developing regional information networks; promoting cooperation among Member States and with the organisations of the United Nations System, as well as with professional NGOs in the areas of national information policies and infrastructures, capacity building, training of information personnel and information users, development of library services including virtual libraries.

The WEBWORLD website serves as an international internet portal offering news, information, documentation, software downloads, links to other UNESCO sites and international links worldwide.

Contact for the Information Society Division: 

Elisabeth Longworth, Director, Information Society Division. Tel: +33 1 4568 4500 Fax: +33 1 4568 8853 E-mail: [email protected]  Web: http://www.unesco.org/webworld/index.shtml 

UNESCO Network of Associated Libraries

UNESCO Network of Associated Libraries [updated March 2004]
1, rue Miollis
75732 Paris cedex 15
FRANCE 

Contact: Joie Springer 
Tel: +33 1 4568 4497 Fax: +33 1 4568 5583 
E-mail: [email protected] 
Web:http://portal.unesco.org/ci/ev.php?URL_ID=1506&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&
URL_SECTION=201&reload=1045217244 

UNAL acts as a clearinghouse in providing information on members' activities, coordinates information on offers and needs in support of twinning or collaborative actions. Funding is arranged for regional or national seminars to promote the network and encourage cooperation and the exchange of information between libraries. Occasional reports on seminars are published in English, French and Spanish for free distribution. There are approximately 450 members of the UNAL network from UNESCO member states and other countries. 

Limited financial assistance for the implementation of activities can be provided through UNESCO's Participation Programme which offers funding for training librarians, technical advice on library development, grants, purchase of equipment and books. Requests for assistance must be submitted through the National Commission for UNESCO in each country prior to the start of each biennial financial period. 

UNESCO Libraries Portal

UNESCO Libraries Portal [New Entry]
1, rue Miollis
75732 Paris cedex 15
FRANCE 

Contact: Joie Springer, Editor-in-Chief, UNESCO Libraries Portal 

Tel: +33 1 4568 4497 Fax: +33 1 4568 5583 
E-mail: [email protected]  Web: http://www.unesco.org/webworld/unal 

The UNESCO Library Portal has been developed and is maintained by UNESCO's Information Society Division. The portal provides links to information sources, library websites worldwide and on issues affecting librarianship. It also provides a news service, points of views and information on conferences. Users can add or modify links to help maintain an accurate online resource. It can be accessed at: http://www.unesco.org/webworld/portal_bib/  

United States Book Exchange (USBE)

United States Book Exchange (USBE) [updated April 2004]
2969 West 25th Street
Cleveland, OH 44113-5399
USA

Contact: Jean Marie Zubal, President

Tel: +1 216 241 6960 Fax: +1 216 241 6966

E-mail: [email protected]   Web: http://www.usbe.com 

The United States Book Exchange (USBE) is a 60 year old nonprofit organisation which supplies back issues of scholarly periodicals, trade journals, popular magazines and other serials to libraries worldwide. USBE has over 17,000 titles and 5 million back issues available.

Each week USBE sets aside for free distribution to libraries in developing countries and libraries in all other locations that have severe budgetary problems, hundreds of bound volumes and thousands of unbound issues of periodicals. The Donational Program's greatest strength is in medicine, science, and technology, including computer science.

Since 1992 when the Donational Program was re-activated, USBE has shipped approximately two million (2,000,000) periodicals to libraries in Tanzania, Uganda, Haiti, Philippines, Belarus, Pakistan, Peru, Ecuador, South Korea, and Vietnam as well as to several institutions in the United States.

At present USBE is equipped to send only full container lots of periodicals to libraries. Containers hold approximately 10,000 kilos. Receiving libraries are responsible for all preparation and transportation charges. USBE will make shipping arrangements as the receiving library requests.

In addition to the re-distribution of periodicals through the USBE Donational Program, USBE can also supply full containers of books useful to academic and public as well as secondary school libraries. The books are 90% non-fiction. Subjects that predominate include social sciences (history, sociology, economics, psychology, politics), business, humanities (especially literary criticism and art), science and technology and medicine. Many of the books are surplus from our member libraries, others are from private sources or segments of larger collections that USBE has handled.

New September 2004

Washington DC Principles for Free Access to Science 

Washington DC Principles for Free Access to Science 
American Physiological Society 
9650 Rockville Pike 
Bethesda, MD 20814 
USA

Contact: Martin Frank, Ph.D., Executive Director 

Tel: +1 301 634 7118 
E-mail: [email protected]  Web: http://www.dcprinciples.org/ 

Since 1995, more than 100 society and university not-for-profit publishers have been working with Stanford University's HighWire Press to transform traditional print journals into enduring and dynamic online journals. These publishers have invested millions of dollars in online technology for information presentation, distribution, and management; created unique and powerful online services for the education and convenience of scientists; initiated some of the largest and most influential experiments in online-only publishing; led the charge in making information free to people who cannot afford to pay for it; and developed state-of-the-art software to support authors, reviewers, and editors. By effectively harnessing new technologies, these not-for-profit society and university publishers have promoted the wider dissemination of scientific information as well as free and unfettered access to journal content for both the scientific community and the public. In so doing, these not-for-profit publishers have become leaders in the online revolution for scientific publishing. 

Through these not-for-profit publishers, the scientific community and the public have easy online access to over 1.6 million articles of which more than 600,000 full-text articles are free. In addition, access is provided to the abstracts of more than 12.6 million articles in more than 4,500 Medline journals, as well as useful alerting and information management tools. 

Through numerous organisations that serve the entire scholarly publishing community, not-for-profit publishers have freely shared their ideas and innovations, with the common goal of improving the dissemination of vital scientific and medical information throughout the world. 

On March 16, 2004 representatives from the nation's leading not-for-profit medical/scientific societies and publishers announced their commitment to providing free access and wide dissemination of published research findings. The Washington DC Principles for Free Access to Science outlines the commitment of not-for-profit publishers to work in partnership with scholarly communities such as libraries to "ensure that these communities are sustained, science is advanced, research meets the highest standards and patient care is enhanced with accurate and timely information." The DC Principles provide what has been called the needed "middle ground" in the increasingly heated debate between those who advocate immediate unfettered online access to medical and scientific research findings and advocates of the current journal publishing system. The document was drafted in response to recent claims that these publishers' practices hinder the public's ability to access published scientific research.

Signatories to the Washington, DC Principles For Free Access to Science currently represent 50 not-for-profit publishers, 380 journals and 600,000+ members. 

World Bank: Volunteer Services Book Project

World Bank: Volunteer Services Book Project [updated April 2004]
1818 H Street N.W., JB3-105
Washington DC 20433
USA

Contact: Elizabeth Shepherd, President

Tel: +1 202 473 8960 Fax: +1 202 522 0301

E-mail: [email protected] 
Web:  http://wbln0018.worldbank.org/HRS/yournet.nsf/0/67150592a688848e85256b19007794d3?OpenDocument 

The WBVS Book Project was founded in 1982 as a non-profit organisation for the purpose of shipping donated books to developing countries.

The Project receives its books from schools, public libraries, universities and individual donors in DC and the neighbouring states and also from time to time new books from publishers. The Book Project is principally sponsored by The World Bank Group and supported by the Civic Program of IMF.

More than 100,000 books are shipped every year to institutions such as schools, libraries and teacher training centres in developing countries throughout the world. Almost 6,000 have benefited since its inception. The average shipment contains 20,000 books. Shipments have recently been sent to Tanzania, Jamaica, Madagascar, Namibia and the Philippines.

The Book Project is managed entirely by volunteers who are spouses of World Bank employees and retired staff from the World Bank Group. They handle the solicitation and receipt of donations, packing and labelling of the shipments, and all administrative matters. 

World Library Partnership (WLP)

World Library Partnership [updated April 2004]
3101 Guess Road, Suite D
Durham, NC 27705
USA

Contact: Laura Wendell, Executive Director

Tel: +1 919 479 0163 Fax: +1 919 479 2033

E-mail:  [email protected]  Web: http://worldlibraries.org/ 

The World Library Partnership, Inc. (WLP) is a non-profit organisation dedicated to building global understanding by promoting literacy, learning and access to information. WLP believes that libraries empower individuals and enrich communities and advocates for sustainable, community-based libraries in developing areas of the world. By supporting libraries and librarians, WLP mobilises the power of information to make the world a better place for all. 

WLP Book Certificate Program - provides libraries in developing countries with the opportunity to select and purchase NEW materials. Too often, libraries in developing countries are stocked entirely with donated books from abroad. This means that they have no books in their local languages, no books written by local authors for local audiences and few books appropriate for developing countries. The books they do have are often out-of-date and in poor condition. The Book Certificate Program is an innovative alternative to traditional book donation that supports indigenous book sellers and publishers by purchasing locally-produced materials for libraries. 

WLP Library Resources Program - supports sustainable library development by providing communities with valuable information through electronic and print resources: 

• WLP's Online Library Resource Database - supplies communities around the globe with a wide range of information about
• Libraries for All: How to Start and Run a Small Library (available in English, French and Spanish in electronic and print formats) is a manual and resource guide designed for people with little or no training in librarianship and contains practical, step-by-step instructions for creating and managing a successful library. The handy resource guide includes 55 organisations providing services to libraries in developing countries. It is an essential tool for small libraries worldwide. 

Volunteer abroad! - provides practical, hands-on assistance and training to librarians in communities with a vast and pressing need for information. Inform the World (ITW) invites library professionals and students to volunteer in developing countries. The programme is a unique opportunity to teach, learn and grow while experiencing another culture. ITW projects respond to the specific needs of individual libraries and include activities such as teaching a class on book repair, implementing a simple cataloguing system or leading a donkey driven `book mobile'. Most ITW projects take place during the summer and last for four weeks.
The WLP/Riecken Foundation Librarian Training Program in Central America - WLP trains librarians at new libraries in Honduras and Guatemala. Its emphasis is on making the libraries inviting, exciting, open spaces. To ensure sustainability, WLP works with library committees on strategic planning, policy making, goal setting and community involvement. It provides the librarians selected by the committees with initial training in how to set up and run the libraries and also follow-up training in programming, outreach, community information services and the other topics. WLP's ITW volunteers provide on-site follow-up training on special topics and assist the librarians to implement skills learned in their initial training.

WLP publishes a newsletter, Partners for Sustainable World. To be included on the mailing list contact: [email protected]  

Information about all its print, electronic and video publications are to be found on the WLP website. 

Zimbabwe International Book Fair (ZIBF)

Zimbabwe International Book Fair [updated July 2004]
Harare Gardens
PO Box CY1179
Causeway
ZIMBABWE

Contact: Samuel Matsangaise, Executive Director 

Tel: +263 4 702104/702108/707352/705729/704112 Fax: +263 4 702129 
E-mail: [email protected]  Web: http://www.zibf.org.zw 

The Zimbabwe International Book Fair (ZIBF) is sub Saharan Africa's premier book and publishing fair, showcasing the largest and most diverse annual exhibition of books, magazines, journals, CD-ROMs as well as printing and publishing technology services on the sub continent. The ZIBF is run by an independent trust (ZIBF Trust), which is an association of professionals from the literary community within and outside Zimbabwe. The Trust sets policy guidelines for and oversees the activities of a secretariat that is responsible for the day to day running of the ZIBF. 

ZIBF's main objective is to promote and market African writing and publishing. 

The annual international book exhibition is held in Harare in the first week of August. ZIBF also takes part in other international events of a similar nature as well as organising provincial book fairs around Zimbabwe.

Vision

To be the most viable market place for books and information on and about Africa and the ultimate meeting place for the literary cultures of the North and South. 

Mission 

To create a market place for the exhibition and promotion of books, periodicals and publishing technologies and to facilitate intra-African and international trade in these. To provide a meeting place for the exchange of ideas and information for all stakeholders in the literary industry through, workshops, seminars, reading and cultural events.

Objectives

• To uphold the right of the peoples of Africa to have full access to books, which are culturally and materially relevant to their reading needs. 
• To uphold the right to freedom of expression and the fullest possible exchange of information through books and other reading materials. 
• To promote professionalism and fair practice in Africa's book and allied industries. 
• To provide total customer satisfaction through personalised quality service to all ZIBF participants. 

As a key African event, the ZIBF attracts ever-increasing numbers of satellite events organised by diverse interest groups, many of them focusing on the annual theme of the Fair. These events range from the Indaba, the Writers' and the Marketing Skills Workshops, book launches to seminars, workshops, training courses, and cultural events. These attract a large pool of book professionals and policy makers who meet annually at the Fair, making it the most significant networking opportunity in the world focused on the African Book Industry.

In 2000 ZIBF undertook the ambitious project of selecting Africa's 100 Best Books of the 20th Century. It has since instigated Africa's 50 Best Female Authors project, the results of which are to be announced during ZIBF 2005 and launched Zimbabwe's Best Books in 2003, a project that seeks to highlight the achievements of the Zimbabwean writing and publishing sector. 

ZIBF remains totally committed to its African constituency and believes that in the long-term is to base its business and marketing strategy on the African Publishing and Book Industry. In view of the above, ZIBF will endeavour to use the highly developed markets of the North to promote African literary works. 

ZIBF has also instituted 2 new awards:

• The ZIBF Africa Prize - to be awarded annually to the author of the best book published during the preceding year of each fair;
• Lifelong Contribution to the African Book Industry - to be given to those individuals and institutions that have demonstrated commitment of the highest possible order to the African Book Industry.