l am just a few kilometres away from Kyiv with my family and every day I hear another story about how libraries are supporting their communities. I hugely admire them.

In times like these everyone is doing much more than they can. The Ukrainian Library Association reports that  libraries are providing shelters, facilitating access to information and the internet, launching humanitarian hubs, documenting the war and supporting each other. 

Ramune Petuchovaite, EIFL Public Library Innovation Programme (EIFL-PLIP) Manager, shares her insights from the Internet Governance Forum (IGF) 2021, which took place in Katowice, Poland, and online, from 6 - 10 December. The theme of the 16th annual IGF was ‘Internet United’.

Teresa Hackett, EIFL’s Copyright and Libraries Programme Manager, outlines the importance of access to research in managing the spread of COVID-19 in the context of stalled talks at the World Trade Organization (WTO) on a waiver of Intellectual Property (IP) rights.

Iryna Kuchma, EIFL Open Access Programme Manager, introduces and discusses a new project that will promote open access to climate and biodiversity research.

Teresa Hackett, EIFL Copyright and Libraries Programme Manager, reports on the annual WIPO Assemblies (4-8 October 2021), where she delivered online statements on behalf of EIFL on two key topics for libraries: copyright limitations and exceptions, and the Marrakesh Treaty for persons with print disabilities.

Teresa Hackett, EIFL’s Copyright and Libraries Programme Manager, reports from the WIPO (World Intellectual Property Organization) copyright committee that met in hybrid mode in Geneva from 28 June to 1 July.

Romy Beard, EIFL Licensing Programme Manager, analyses the amount of research published in open access in 2020 by authors from EIFL partner countries, to find out if EIFL-negotiated agreements are making a difference. 

Iryna Kuchma, EIFL Open Access Programme Manager, highlights Research Data Management training programmes offered by our partner institutions in Estonia, Ethiopia, Lithuania and Serbia.

Sharing research data is a part of good research practice. It helps to cut down on academic fraud, validates the research results, leads to scientific breakthroughs, and potentially, to more citations for journal articles. It increases the use and reuse of data and brings economic benefits as well. 

The first online Next Library 2021 Festival on 3 - 4 June offered a remarkable space for learning about public library transformation centred on the community. The main themes were: Democracy, Creativity and Playful Learning in Libraries, and the Sustainable Development Goals.

Ugne Lipeikaite, EIFL Public Library Innovation Programme (EIFL-PLIP) Impact Manager, discusses a remarkable Danish public library impact study and asks - can the evaluation approach be applied in developing countries?