EIFL (originally called eIFL.net) is created as an initiative of the Open Society Institute (OSI), now Open Society Foundations (OSF), a private grantmaking foundation that is part of the Soros Foundation network.
Begins working with libraries in Central and Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union.
Negotiates first licence to provide access to e-journals. An agreement was signed with EBSCO Publishing to provide access to five databases that contained more than 3,500 full-text journals .
Begins building a network of library consortia. Library consortia are groups of libraries that share common goals. A consortium is able to speak with one voice to stakeholders, policymakers and funders.
Begins working with libraries in southern Africa.
EIFL was one of the original signatories for the Budapest Open Access Initiative, which first coined the term "Open Access".
Begins working with libraries in west Africa. Nigeria was the first country where EIFL organized a library consortium building event.
First annual knowledge-sharing event is held in St. Petersburg, Russia.
Registers as a Not-for-profit organization (Stichting eIFL.net) in the Netherlands with its operational seat in Rome, Italy. (In 2016, the operational seat moved to Vilnius, Lithuania.)
The programme removes barriers to knowledge sharing by advocating for the adoption of open access (OA) policies and mandates, and by building the capacity to launch and sustain OA repositories and journals.
Begins working with libraries in southeast and east Asia. The first event was organized in Cambodia, followed by Laos and China.
Begins working with libraries in north Africa. Sudan was the first country in the region to join the EIFL network.
First open access event is held (South Africa). The conference was a one-day programme to introduce the OA model in South Africa and was hosted by SASLI and EIFL/OSI.
The programme advocates for national and international copyright law reform, and supports librarians to become advocates for a fair copyright system. The first regional meeting took place in Uganda.
Dick Kawooya, first librarian from Africa participates in copyright negotiations at the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO).
Begins working with libraries in the Middle East. The first workshops were held in the Palestinian territories (Gaza and West Bank) and Jordan.
Gains permanent observer status at the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), a specialized agency of the United Nations. Observers are invited to attend formal meetings of member states.
First open access institutional repository (IR) is launched through EIFL’s support in an EIFL-partner country (University of Zimbabwe).
The programme improves library technology by encouraging the use of free and open source software (FOSS) in libraries and fostering a network of FOSS champions in our partner countries. Experts in FOSS came together for the kick off meeting in Italy.
Begins working with libraries in east Africa. Kenya was the first country to join the EIFL network.
Begins work with libraries in south Asia. Nepal was the first country to join the EIFL network in the region.
Over 100 open repositories in EIFL partner countries disseminate more than 450,000 research publications.
Official partnership status is granted to EIFL in cooperation with the The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). It consists in a mutual engagement to cooperate and work together in the Organization’s fields of competence.
The programme advances community development by enabling public libraries to implement innovative ideas that use technology to improve people’s lives and livelihoods.
Open Access Week has become an important global annual event, organized by SPARC in partnership with the OA Week Advisory Committee, where EIFL is a member.
Joins other organizations in founding COAR (Confederation of Open Access Repositories). COAR aims to enable every citizen in the world to get access to – and be able to benefit from – knowledge produced from publicly-funded research.
Celebrates ten years at the General Assembly, which was hosted by the Bibliotheca Alexandrina in Egypt.
Changed our name from eIFL.net to EIFL (Electronic Information for Libraries) for public use, and created our new logo.
EIFL Open Access Programme receives the award.
EIFL contributes to BOAI 10th Anniversary Recommendations for the next 10 years
The EIFL Public Library Innovation Awards highlight important community development issues and recognize innovative uses of digital technology to improve people’s lives.
Celebrating the 10th anniversary of the Open Access Programme.
Begins working with libraries in Oceania. Fiji was the first country in the region to join the EIFL network.
EIFL wins the prestigious World Summit on the Information Society Project Prize (WSIS), in the capacity building category. The award was in recognition of our Public Library Innovation Programme.
The Accelerating Science Award Programme (ASAP) selects EIFL to be one of seven high-impact Open Access organizations, among public action advocates.
SPARC (Scholarly Publishing and Academic Resources Coalition) recognizes EIFL with its July 2014 Innovator Award.
Celebrates 15 years at the General Assembly in Istanbul.
Celebrating the 10th anniversary of the Copyright and Libraries Programme.
EIFL negotiated an agreement with Taylor & Francis for authors from EIFL partner countries to publish in Taylor & Francis open access journals for free or at discounted Article Processing Charges (APCs)
From 2008, EIFL actively supported negotiations at WIPO in Geneva, and participated in the Diplomatic conference in Marrakesh that adopted the Marrakesh Treaty in 2013.
OpenAIRE established a not-for-profit legal entity called OpenAIRE A.M.K.E. to ensure a permanent presence and structure for a European-wide national policy and open scholarly communication infrastructure.
EIFL encourages governments in EIFL partner countries to ratify the Marrakesh Treaty for print-disabled people, which gives libraries the right to convert printed works into accessible formats without having to ask for permission from rightsholders, and to share these works across borders.
EIFL Public Library Innovation Programme partners and public librarians from across the world sent messages celebrating the programme’s 10th anniversary. We shared their messages in an interactive map.
Celebrates 20 years at the General Assembly which was hosted by the American University of Central Asia (AUCA) in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. Achievements over 20 years are summarized in our 2019 Annual Report.
Since its launch in 2005, the Copyright and Libraries Programme has had some remarkable achievements, gained international recognition and staff have won awards. Interview with Programme Manager, Teresa Hackett.
EIFL-negotiated agreements with 10 publishers allow authors from EIFL partner countries to publish their articles in open access at waived or discounted Article Processing Charges (APCs) in over 2,500 fully open access or hybrid journals.
Since 2011 EIFL has completed 15 innovation award calls and selected 53 winners in Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean. Stories about winning services are shared in a special feature in our 2021 Annual Report.
UNESCO invited EIFL to join the UNESCO Open Science Partnership and an international UNESCO Open Science Advisory Committee to contribute to a global consultation that resulted in the UNESCO Recommendation on Open Science.
EIFL-OA Manager contributed to a new set of recommendations based on the original principles of the BOAI.
In just 10 years 119 countries from five continents, including 26 current and former EIFL partner countries have joined the Treaty. EIFL supports ratification of the Treaty by our partner countries and implementation into national laws.
Celebrates 20 years at the General Assembly in Vilnius, Litnuania.
Iryna Kuchma, EIFL Open Access Programme Manager, received the NDLTD ETD Leadership Award 2024. The award, made by the NDLTD (Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations), recognizes individuals whose leadership and vision has helped to raise awareness of the benefits of open access electronic theses and dissertations (ETDs), and whose efforts have improved graduate education and research through the use of technology.
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