Dissemination of Output an Issue? The Solution is...

Libraries play a pivotal role in providing access to, and ensuring dissemination of the output from their institute and community. Achieving dissemination of output however, can be problematic for a variety of reasons. An open access repository is a simple solution to achieve the showcasing of output, along with the benefits of easy management, stable preservation and the accessibility of content on a global basis. This accessibility to content raises the profile of both the institution and its authors. Challenges are often faced to achieve this, either through lack of resource, knowledge, or budgetary constraints at a local, or regional level. Such barriers are real and continue at a time, when openly accessible information to health resources is continuously in the global spotlight. How can we help overcome these problems? BioMed Central has an aim of helping low and middle income countries achieve open access to their intellectual output. It’s Open Repository service has launched a new and unprecedented service: OR Lite. This type of repository service has been repeatedly requested within African and low and middle income countries. A low-cost, high-value, hosted repository solution, that aids collaboration between researchers, foundations and networks, whether at an individual, consortium, local or national level. This presentation will address the issues that are faced, how repository technology, plus a specifically designed service can help overcome these problems. How the awareness and dissemination of good quality African output can be achieved and mandate compliance easily implemented. It further considers how Open Repository working with partners such as Partnership in Health Information (PHi) helps aid this and how clients such as OXFAM, Medicine Sans Frontier (MSF) and Practical Action share their conten, via the Open Repository service, to provide vital information in the region.