Introduction

As of March 2021, the Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ) and the Directory of Open Access Scholarly Resources (ROAD) indexes 3 and 10 OA journals published in Kyrgyzstan respectively. There are 02 OA repositories registered in OpenROAR and 01 in openDOAR. There are no OA policies registered in ROARMAP. 

Libraries of Kyrgyzstan are aware of their important role in providing free and open access to scientific research  information for people. Open Access is a tool which could make local research visible worldwide for free.

Leading academic and university libraries of Kyrgyzstan, using new technologies, implement the information provision effective system of scientists, candidates, students and other kinds of users of the country forming electronic libraries, and repositories with the framework of international initiatives on Open Access. 

On May, 2006 the Kyrgyz Libraries Information Consortium (KLIC) in collaboration with the Library of American University of Central Asia (AUCA), initiated Open Access in Kyrgyzstan, conducting the "Creation of institutional Repository: Open Electronic Library"  workshop for university and academic libraries of Kyrgyzstan. AUCA library specialists acted as trainers of the workshop. The American University of Central Asia is the pilot university on the basis of which all the technologies of the Electronic Archive (testing and installation of the repository software, documents digitization, metadata entering and editing, etc.) have been developed. The workshop led to expression of interest by a number of libraries to create a corporate repository of scientific works of scientists of Kyrgyzstan. As a result, on October 2006 the Kyrgyz Libraries Information Consortium in collaboration with AUCA library prepared "New forms of library service of scientists of Kyrgyzstan on the basis of creation of the corporate electronic repository of abstracts of dissertations'' project, which was launched on February 2007, sponsored by Soros Kyrgyzstan Foundation, launched. The project aimed to implement the Corporate Electronic Repository (archive) of Full Text Abstracts of Dissertations (CRAD) that provided free and open access to scientific work of scientists of Kyrgyzstan, and for the entire global research community. 12 leading academic and university libraries of Bishkek have taken part in the project. The CRAD database is available on the web site http://oel.bik.org.kg/.

EIFL has been working in Kyrgyzstan since 1999. EIFL supported the creation of the Kyrgyz Libraries Information Consortium (KLIC), and through this partnership, libraries in Kyrgyzstan are providing access to a wide range of scholarly e-resources. EIFL has engaged with public libraries in Kyrgyzstan, resulting in an innovative pilot project that is helping libraries meet the information needs of their communities. The Kyrgyz Libraries Information Consortium (KLIC) conducts great work on Open Access development in Kyrgyzstan. Open Access booklets have been prepared for research and libraries. Presentations of project results for researches of several universities of Bishkek have been led by the KLIC.

Events and Program

Other OA-related activities:

Within the CRAD project two workshops on Open Access,  creation of the institutional repository, open archives of research publications, corporate repository implementation, etc. have been conducted on 15-16 March, 2007 and on 12 September, 2007.

In Kyrgyzstan, EIFL has supported a national open access awareness raising and advocacy workshop. EIFL has also provided advanced training and a support service to raise awareness of library copyright issues, and to assist with copyright questions.