Introduction

There are 30 libraries in Albania most of which are university libraries. These have formed the Consortium of Albanian Libraries and are members of EIFL.

As of March 2021, 4 OA journals published in Albania are listed in DOAJ: (i) Academicus: International Scientific Journal; (ii) Albanian Journal of Trauma and Emergency Surgery; (iii) Prizren Social Science Journal; (iv) POLIS. The Directory of Open Access Scholarly Resources (ROAD) further lists 15 more OA journals published in Albania. 1 institutional OA repository from Epoka University is registered in OpenDOAR. 

Enabling Environment

The national library was established in 1920 and a legal deposit act passed in 1922 (most recently revised in 1994). Library legislation was passed in 2000 guaranteeing free access to information and establishing recognition for library development.

Albania Library Association received a grant from EIFL to develop a Consortium of Albanian Libraries.  All members of the consortium have access to Commercial e-resources through EIFL-Licensing.

Potential Barriers:

Albania still ranks as one of the poorest countries in Europe; IT facilities and internet access is limited (few public libraries e.g. Durresi, Fieri, Shkodra, Berat have internet access).

Key Organizations

EIFL funding to the Albanian Library Association in 2004 led to the development of a Library Consortium, conference and training to consortium members.

Consortium of Albanian Libraries

Overview: The consortium consists of 30 national, academic and special libraries which, together with the Albanian Library Association, act to provide collective access to e-resources, training for librarians and end-users, technical assistance to members.

Communication address: Consortium of Albanian Libraries c/o University of New York Library, Rr. Komuna e Parisit, P.O.Box 2301, Tirana, Albania; e-mail: mariola.dashi(at)gmail.com

Events and Programmes

• OSCAL (Open Source Conference Albania), 2021, Albania

• Open Source Conference Albania, 13 & 14 May 2017 in Tirana, Albania.

• 9 May 2015: OSCAL 2015- Open Source Conference; Tiranë, Albania

• OSCAL (Open Source Conference Albania) was the first annual conference in Albania organized to promote software freedom, open-source software, free culture and open knowledge, a global movement that originally started more than 25 years ago. The Conference gathered free-libre open source technology users, developers, academics, governmental agencies and people who share the idea that software should be free and open for the local community.

• The conference was supported and organized by Open Labs, the community that has promoted free-libre open-source culture in Albania since 2012.

Publications

• Kupryte, R, Segbert-Elbert, M and Bernal, I (2005) The eIFL.net Initiative: Access and Management of Electronic Resources by Library Consortia in Developing and Transition Countries Serials Review. ol 31, December 2005, 256-260.

• Xhaja, F (2001) Library system in Albania Unpublished paper.