The resources described below are programs specifically for libraries and institutions in developing countries. Many provide free access or subscriptions at dramatically reduced rates to individuals or institutions in particular countries. Several provide online registration forms.                   

AGLINET (Agricultural Libraries Network)
Coordinated by FAO's David Lubin Memorial Library, AGLINET is a voluntary network of agricultural libraries around the world with strong regional/country coverage and other comprehensive or very specialized subject resource collections. All member libraries provide, upon request, low-cost inter-library loan and photocopy service to other member libraries, bibliographic information, reproductions (fiche or photocopy) and other cooperative activities as appropriate.

AGORA (Access to Global Online Research in Agriculture)
The AGORA site provides access to over 700 journals from major scientific publishers in the fields of food, agriculture, environmental science and related social sciences. It is available to students and researchers in qualifying not-for-profit institutions in eligible developing countries. It is produced by a unique collaboration of public and private partners, including: FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization), major scientific publishers, Cornell University's Mann Library, the Rockefeller Foundation, the UK's Department of International Development (DFID) and others.

Bioline International
Bioline International is a not-for-profit electronic publishing service committed to providing open access to quality research journals published in developing countries. BI's goal of reducing the South to North knowledge gap is crucial to a global understanding of health (tropical medicine, infectious diseases, epidemiology, emerging new diseases), biodiversity, the environment, conservation and international development.

CABI Information for Development Program
For Africa and Southeast Asian countries, primarily. The Programme assists with the design and planning of sustainable library and information systems, contributes to capacity building through training in information and biological sciences, including use of the farmer field school approach, acts as a facilitator in the transition to new media delivery mechanisms such as the Internet, and delivers information content in innovative formats, such as encyclopaedic compendia. Other CABI member countries may also be eligible for reduced discounts on the CAB Abstracts database subscriptions.

Electronic Information for Libraries
The core service of eIFL.net is the provision of access to commercially produced electronic journals and databases, through collective negotiations with publishers and aggregators. They also have a section of their site (under Services) that talks about grants for consortia building and development and free journals.

EOLSS
The Encyclopedia of Life Support Systems, developed by UNESCO, is a virtual dynamic library with contributions from well over 7000 scholars from over 100 countries and edited by hundreds of subject experts, for a wide audience: pre-university/university students, professional practitioners, informed specialists, researchers, policy analysts, managers, and decision makers. The EOLSS is made available free of charge to universities in the UN list of least developed countries and disadvantaged individuals worldwide. Universities from developing countries also receive an appropriate discount. It is available to others at nominal subscription rates.

GDNet's Free Journals Access Portal For Social Sciences.
Global Development Network-North America's new Free Journal Access Portal enables social science researchers based in developing or transitional countries to access a searchable, full-text, online database of more than 120 well-known social-science journals, free of charge. It is made available to GDNet Profile holders by the Center for Global Development and the Global Development Network-North America (GDN-NA), in cooperation with Project MUSE of the John Hopkins University Press.

HINARI (Health InterNetwork Access to Research Initiative)
The Health InterNetwork Access to Research Initiative (HINARI) is a new initiative, led by the World Health Organization (WHO), to provide free or nearly free access to the major journals in biomedical and related social sciences, to public institutions in developing countries. Starting in January 2002 with over 2000 journals from the world's leading biomedical publishers, HINARI is part of the Health InterNetwork, which was introduced by the United Nations' Secretary General Kofi Annan at the UN Millennium Summit in the year 2000.

ISTEC (Ibero-American Science & Technology Education Consortium)
From a project at the University of New Mexico. The Consortium has been established to foster scientific, engineering, and technology education, joint international research and development efforts among its members, and to provide a cost-effective vehicle for the application and transfer of technology. In particular, the Digital Library Linkages Program was created to broaden electronic availability of research materials, to upgrade the information system skills of library and information workers, and to sharpen the skills and independence of the electronic information user.

PERI (Programme for the Enhancement of Research Information)
From the International Network for the Availability of Scientific Publications (INASP) in the UK. PERI provides access to international information — including agricultural and related information — at no cost or reduced cost for libraries and agricultural extension workers in eligible countries. Over 11,000 journals are available as well as databases, online reports and reviews. It also provides access to national and regional research through initiatives such as African Journals Online, a database of over 175 digitised African journals. It also provides training in information and communication technologies, workshops, study tours and other support for publishers, editors and authors of learned journals in developing countries.

SIDALC -
a Latin American & Caribbean library consortium sponsored by Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) and Centro Agronómico Tropical de Investigación y Enseñanza (CATIE).

TEEAL (The Essential Electronic Agricultural Library)
TEEAL is a digitized set with full text journals in agriculture on CD-ROM or for local area network. It is available at greatly reduced cost from the actual price of the subscriptions. TEEAL is produced by a cooperative effort between Cornell University's Albert R. Mann Library and leading science publishers, with the ongoing support of the Rockefeller Foundation and other agencies.

compiled by:
Lorraine Pellack
Head, Science & Technology Department
Parks Library
Iowa State University
Ames, IA 50011-2140