The following grants have been awarded under the 2008 Innovative Libraries in Developing Countries program. The program provides grants to libraries in the developing countries and their supporting organizations for projects that enhance libraries’ capacity in the fields of science, technology and medicine -- through library training and education; library infrastructure, technology or information services; and digitization and preservation of information.  To read more click here.

Collaborative Digital Reference Service System (CDRSS) for University Libraries in China: An Exploratory Study

Shanghai Jiao Tong University

 The Elsevier Foundation grant will help to lay the groundwork for China’s first real time virtual reference system offering universities an opportunity to share information resources and staff expertise across CALIS, a consortium of 1,000 Chinese university libraries. This grant will address China’s critical lack of well-organized collaborative digital reference systems which represent a significant barrier for university libraries seeking to offer users a high quality reference service and diffuse knowledge more broadly.

Information and Library Needs Assessment to support the Orotta School of Medicine, Physicians for Peace and GWU Medical Center Training project in Eritrea

George Washington University Himmelfarb Health Sciences Library

 This Elsevier Foundation grant will assess and evaluate the present Eritrean clinical, medical and health information infrastructure to build an integrated information system grounded in evidence-based practice decisions. The immediate goal is to develop recommendations identifying the opportunities and barriers for dissemination and delivery of health information services to Eritrean health care professionals. Recently emerging from a 30 year struggle for independence from Ethiopia, Eritrea has no more than five physicians for every 100,000 people. This grant addresses “brain drain” in the long term by contributing new capacity for the first on-site graduate medical program in Eritrea. It also serves as an exportable model for other developing countries seeking to create sustainable clinical information systems to meet country-specific healthcare training and service needs.

Building on an operational health network to develop a health information library network in Cameroon

Centre International de Reference “Chantal Biya” (CIRCB)

 The Elsevier Foundation grant will be used to develop a central library system to collect, document, and disseminate relevant HIV/AIDS research from the Centre International de Reference “Chantal Biya” (CIRCB) hub based in Yaoundé to outlying health institutes in seven of the country’s ten provinces with extremely limited access to information. The CIRCB plays a leading role in strengthening regional research capacity and the prevention, treatment and management of HIV/AIDS, a highly prevalent disease in sub-Saharan Africa.  The grant will leverage the strength of existing health, training and previous funding networks to share information on the latest literature and advances in HIV/AIDS treatment across the region.

Creating an Integrated Library System (ILS) Using Open Source Software KOHA for BRAC University Library

Ayesha Abed Library BRAC University

 A grant from the Elsevier Foundation will enable Bangladesh's BRAC University to implement a complete ILS or library automation system using open source software to enrich their infrastructure, serving as both a local resource and model for other Bangladeshi university libraries. BRAC or the Bangladesh Rural Advancement Committee is one of the world's largest NGO's working in the field of poverty alleviation, rural health care and education. The ILS project will facilitate internal processing activities, migrate and preserve data from the existing library systems into standard format, provide staff training, and ensure timely access to the information resources of the BRACU library's national and international resources.