News Release

Springer grants Haitian students and researchers free access to online platform

Bibliothèques sans Frontières sets up digital library supported by international publishers

Business Announcement

Springer

As Haiti continues to rebuild in the aftermath of the 2010 earthquake, Springer Science+Business Media is granting 15,000 students and researchers access to its online platform SpringerLink. Springer provides them with scientific content from approximately 2,000 research-level scientific journals including French-language editions and the state-of-the-art book series Lecture Notes in Computer Science and Lecture Notes in Mathematics. Access to journal articles and eBook content ranges from the current year back to 1997.

The digital library project in Haiti is being set up by Bibliothèques sans Frontières (BSF) in partnership with the State University of Haiti. In total, 23 international publishing partners support this initiative to provide immediate and easy access to electronic information resources.

The creation of this innovative library project aims to provide an efficient response to the destruction of 9 of Haiti's 11 state university libraries. Students and researchers will have access to a vast range of content covering the latest research findings in science, technology, medicine, information technology, humanities, and behavioral and social sciences.

Access to Springer content is temporarily free of charge as 'help for self-help' to all users of the State University of Haiti for an initial period from 2011 to 2013. Thereafter, Springer will undertake a thorough review of the usage and impact this access has had for all the users in Haiti.

"The establishment of this academic structure aims to provide a quick and meaningful response to the lack of documentary infrastructures, in the aftermath of the disaster of January 12, 2010. But Bibliothèques Sans Frontières wants to deepen its collaboration with UEH: the ground for an international reference central academic library has already been prepared. We wish that, starting from 2012, a remote book loan service would be available to all the students of the UEH," said Patrick Weil, President of Bibliothèques Sans Frontières.

"Bibliothèques sans Frontières should be highly commended for establishing this 'pantheon' of science in Haiti, which will be of insurmountable value to all students, teachers, doctors, researchers and other academics in the whole country. We wish Haiti every future success in the rebuilding of their country," said Alan Harris, Licensing Manager Developing Country Initiatives at Springer.

###

Bibliothèques sans Frontières is a non-profit-making association created at the end of 2006 in Paris, on the initiative of the French historian Patrick Weil. There are today 771 million illiterate adults and 103 million children not attending school. Bibliothèques Sans Frontières works across the world for access to knowledge by setting up libraries, professionalizing the book chain, promoting the endowment of books and supporting the development of new technologies (computerization and digital libraries).

Springer Science+Business Media is a leading global scientific publisher, delivering quality content through innovative information products and services. The company is also a trusted provider of local-language professional publications in Europe, especially in Germany and the Netherlands. In the science, technology and medicine (STM) sector, the group publishes around 2,000 journals and more than 7,000 new books a year, as well as the largest STM eBook Collection worldwide. Springer has operations in about 20 countries in Europe, the USA, and Asia, and more than 5,500 employees.


Disclaimer: AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert system.