MEET THE EIFL EXPERTS

EIFL brings a unique combination of expertise and in-depth knowledge to its work in developing and transition economy countries

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Open Access

Iryna Kuchma works at the local and global levels to make open access, open data and open science the new normal in research and scholarly communications. She is an internationally recognized expert, and serves on the boards and committees of several leading organizations. With over 20 years' experience, she has a deep knowledge of open access in Africa, Asia and Europe.
Languages: English, French, Polish, Russian, Ukrainian
More about the EIFL Open Access Programme

Full biography for Iryna Kuchma, EIFL Open Access Programme Manager
Negotiations with publishers and licensing e-resources

Over two decades, Lorraine has played a leading role in developing licensing strategies and programmes, and negotiating licensing agreements with publishers, improving access to knowledge for millions of scholars. In 2019, she was part of the team working on the SPA-OPS project, developing a licensing toolkit and helping society publishers develop transformative agreements (agreements between library consortia and publishers that combine subscription fees for accessing publisher’s content with publishing costs when authors publish articles in open access). She has worked on many projects helping library consortia, libraries and publishers across the globe to develop strategies, business models, policies, and practices to take forward the transition from subscription-based access to journals to open access. 
Languages: English
More about the EIFL Licensing Programme

Full biography for Lorraine Estelle, EIFL Licensing Programme Manager
Public libraries

Ramune Petuchovaite’s extensive on the ground experience of public libraries in developing and transition economy countries means she is keenly aware of the struggles of public librarians working with limited resources, and the daily challenges they face in serving their communities. Her expertise is in enabling public librarians in these contexts to collaborate with communities to provide innovative and sustainable internet-based knowledge and information services that are relevant to local needs - services that can help people improve their health, find jobs and increase their incomes, improve crop yields, pass exams and much more.
Languages: English, Lithuanian, Russian
More about the EIFL Public Library Innovation Programme

Full biography for Ramune Petuchovaite, EIFL Public Library Innovation Programme Manager
Professional development of librarians

For over 27 years Susan Schnuer has trained librarians, in developing and transition economy countries, to be agents of change in their communities. Her passion is to identify and coach talented librarians, helping them to explore their potential as leaders and trainers in their communities. Her philosophy is to ‘tread lightly’ by co-developing training programmes that are tailored to meet the unique needs of librarians in different countries or regions.
Languages: English, French, Spanish
More about the EIFL’s public library capacity building initiatives in Africa

Full biography for Susan Schnuer, EIFL Public Library Innovation Programme Capacity Building Manager
Copyright for libraries

Teresa Hackett has over 20 years’ experience as a leader engaged in public interest copyright reforms in the library sector at national and international levels. She has grown a dynamic network of specialist copyright libraries in over 25 developing and transition economy countries, many of whom have achieved success in improving national laws. At the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), Teresa has participated in negotiations for global copyright rules that promote access to knowledge for all, and has contributed to over 20 nations joining the landmark WIPO Marrakesh Treaty for persons with print disabilities.
Languages: English, German, Irish
More about the EIFL Copyright and Libraries Programme

Full biography for Teresa Hackett, EIFL Copyright and Libraries Programme Manager
Impact

Ugne Lipeikaite’s expertise in developing impact evaluation methodologies and tools for measuring the outcomes of public library services has grown over a period of 15 years. Ugne has contributed to the design and implementation of major international research projects to measure the impact of public internet access in libraries and the role of libraries in providing connectivity and digital skills in communities. Ugne has developed training courses and trained public and community librarians in several countries in Africa on how to assess the needs of communities and the impact of library services.
Languages: Lithuanian, English, Spanish
More about EIFL’s public library capacity building initiatives in Africa

Full biography for Ugne Lipeikaite, EIFL Public Library Innovation Programme Impact Manager