For more information on fair use and the different legal systems, see Prof Brandon Butler guest blog Fair use, open norms and blurred lines between common law and civil law countries.

'open norms' on the agenda

As governments seek to reform copyright law so that it is fit for the digital age, the need for a general, flexible exception (also known as an open norm) is stimulating widespread interest among academics and policy-makers.

In this guest blog, Professor Brandon Butler, American University Washington College of Law (WCL), discusses the merits of the fair use doctrine in the US and addresses commonly held objections to the more widespread introduction of open norms in national copyright laws.

This year, the Consortium des Bibliothèques de l’Enseignement Supérieur de Senegal (COBESS) celebrate their 10th anniversary.

COBESS will mark the occasion by hosting a major event to showcase its contribution to higher education and research in Senegal. The event will take place from 2 - 6 November in Dakar, Senegal's capital city.

Using Facebook can be an effective way for academic libraries to connect with their user community.

By posting updates on Facebook, libraries can inform their users about the library’s programmes and services. They can invite students to attend training sessions, post practical information about the library’s opening times, link to new and existing print and online resources, and update the university community about any new developments. 'Followers' can engage with the library by commenting on posts and sharing them with their friends. 

EIFL Communications Manager Jean Fairbairn celebrates the launch of the eighth EIFL Public Library Innovation Award, with this blog about how the awards have raised the profile of public libraries in their communities, boosted librarians' morale and built their confidence.

“It is smart to belong to a good network,” commented one delegate during the AfLIA 2015 post-conference organised by the EIFL Public Library Innovation Programme (EIFL-PLIP) on June 3, 2015, in Accra, Ghana.

The theme of networking came up repeatedly during both the AfLIA main conference (also held in Accra, from May 30 - June 2) and the EIFL-PLIP post-conference.

Zambia Library Consortium (ZALICO) has launched a national open access (OA) advocacy project that aims to transform Zambia’s research landscape.

The project is supported by EIFL, and aims to encourage OA uptake through advocacy, OA policy formulation, and to increase OA publishing in order to improve accessibility and visibility of research.

This blog was updated in July 2016 to include data from 2015 and to coincide with the termination of the British Library international, non-commercial document supply service.

Document delivery is a vital service in meeting the particular information needs of individual researchers, students and scholars.

“I am proud, because I am empowered and able to offer ICT training to other people,  and I am able to change others through this training.”

This feedback from a public librarian in Kenya came at the end of an intensive capacity building programme for public librarians organized by the EIFL Public Library Innovation Programme (EIFL-PLIP).

One of the jobs of academic librarians is to promote e-resources to their users. This includes licensed e-resources as well as Open Access (OA) content that is available for free, without the need to register or sign a licence.