Bioline Sponsorship Program

[Leslie.Chan[chan@utsc.utoronto.ca]]

Libraries around the world support Open Access to critical
research from developing countries

Bioline International membership campaign update

Just six months after launching its international membership and
sponsorship campaign, Bioline International is pleased to welcome
York University Libraries as the newest sponsor and supporting
member for 2009. York University Libraries joins other Canadian
institutions such as Simon Fraser University Library, University
of Guelph Library, University of Ottawa Library as both a sponsor
and a supporting member.

Other sponsors include the Open Society Institute, Science
Commons, and the J. Willard Marriott Library at the University of
Utah.

Bioline's new sponsorship program, announced in November 2008,
gives organizations and institutions the opportunity to make a
bold statement for open access to the research published in
developing countries.

These special funding contributions are helping Bioline to make
the transition to a membership supported system, while
maintaining the commitment to sustainable, reliable access to the
70 bioscience journals from 16 countries distributed through the
Bioline website. An expanded membership base will enable Bioline
to add quality peer-reviewed scientific journals from other parts
of the world.

Response to the call for members has been very encouraging.
Despite the global economic crisis, Bioline is pleased to
announce that 18 organizations have already signed on as Bioline
members.

For a small annual fee ($500 USD), libraries and organizations
can join Canadian institutions such as Grant MacEwan College, the
IDRC Library, Libraries & Cultural Resources at University of
Calgary, York University Libraries, University of Guelph Library,
University of Manitoba Library and University of Ottawa Library,
all of whom are already supporting Bioline with yearly
memberships.

Support from American organizations has also been strong. Harold
B. Lee Library at Brigham Young University, Sterling Memorial
Library at Yale University, University of Iowa Libraries,
University of Wisconsin Madison Libraries and Penn State
University Libraries have joined as members, while a number of
other organizations and library consortia have expressed an
interest.

In Europe, Ghent University Library, Lund University Libraries,
the World Health Organization Headquarters Library and the
Wellcome Library have all joined Bioline as supporting members.
Other international members now include the Main Library at the
University of the West Indies, St.Augustine, and the University
of Hong Kong Libraries.

A full list of members and sponsors, as well as individual
contributors, can be seen at:
http://www.bioline.org.br/info?id=bioline&doc=sponsorsmembers

Over the next few months, we hope that many more libraries will
include Bioline International membership into their acquisition
plans. Our many publishing partners are deeply grateful for your
support as are the Bioline staff, students and volunteers at the
University of Toronto Scarborough and our partner organization,
the Centro de Referencia em Informaco Ambiental in Brazil, who
has been providing technology support for Bioline since 1993.

To become a member of Bioline International now, please visit:
http://www.bioline.org.br/info?id=bioline&doc=support

For more information visit the Bioline International web site:
http://www.bioline.org.br/ or email Leslie Chan at
chan@utsc.utoronto.ca

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