2005 marks the 125th anniversary of the modern Elsevier company and the 425th anniversary of the original House of Elzevir family publishing house. To celebrate, Elsevier has created "A Book in Your Name", a 2005 book donation program providing core collections of some 700 essential text and reference books in disciplines such as medicine, nursing, allied health fields, life sciences, earth sciences and agriculture to ten university libraries across the developing world. These ten libraries were selected by an external group of international Librarian Advisors who have worked hard to support the growth of libraries in need throughout the world.
Through “A Book in Your Name”, each of Elsevier’s 6,700 employees were invited to select one of the ten libraries to receive a book donated in celebration of global library relationships. Each book carries a special anniversary bookplate serving as a lasting recognition of the donation.
Tony McSeán, Elsevier Director of Library Relations noted, "It's the collaborative nature of this project which makes it so worthwhile. Books have been chosen by and for librarians. We wanted to be sure books went where they are most needed and where they will be made to work hard. The ten libraries chosen represent the spectrum of challenges faced by libraries in the developing world."
As the books stock shelves in libraries across the world, librarians from universities in Tanzania, Sierra Leone, Ecuador, Guatemala, Malawi and Vietnam have shared what the Elsevier collection means for their library.
Muhimbili University College Library of Health Sciences, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
"Wow!! Finally the books have arrived in my library. I am amazed of the numbers, up-to-dateness, and relevance of the books we have just received! Sincerely speaking, I feel like I am dreaming. I do not seem
to believe that all these books are for my library - this is because for many years we have not acquired this amount of useful books. As we were unpacking them from boxes, I could see my students and staff wondering where all these books came from? It is just like a person who has been starving to death, and all of a sudden, and from nowhere, the food is delivered in a gold plate! They (students and staff) are eagerly waiting for the books to be processed and put on shelves for immediate consumption. Certainly, these books are going to change the inner part of my library.
Allow me, on behalf of my Principal, library staff, Library Committee members, students, lecturers, researchers, and practitioners (doctors, nurses, lab technicians, etc.), to thank you so much for this useful donation. I believe very much that the best donation or support one can provide to a fellow human being is knowledge. When one receives knowledge or information, he/she can be able to use that to get everything else. You have, at the right time, capacitated us, and we thank you so much for this. I believe that the warm relationship that exists between MUCHS Library and Elsevier will triumph and continue to be cherished for the betterment of the information-hungry communities of Tanzania and the south in general."
Alli Mcharazo,
Head, Library
Muhimbili University College of Health Sciences
National Center for Scientific and Technology Information (NACESTI), Hanoi, Vietnam
On the 29th September 2005, the Elsevier and the National Center for Scientific and Technology Information (NACESTI), Vietnam, held a reception in Hanoi to mark the arrival of the 719 Elsevier books that were donated to NACESTI as part of "A Book in Your Name Program" and Elsevier's 425-125 anniversary celebrations. Pascal van den Nieuwendijk, Regional Sales Manager, presented the books to NACESTI at the reception which was attended by over 80 Vietnamese researchers as well as local media.
At the opening ceremony, Dr. Phung Minh Lai, Deputy Director of NACESTI commented, "I firmly believe that these donated books will help to strengthen NACESTI's information resource in particular as well as the national information resource in general, and will provide the latest scientific and technological knowledge in the world to the scientific community in Vietnam. After the showcase, all the donated books will be catalogued and the list of titles will be posted on our website to inform users across the country. They will also be permanently and carefully maintained in order to serve our users." Researchers who attended the event also expressed their sincere appreciation of the donation.
Universidad Francisco Marroquin, Guatemala
In Guatemala, Grete Pasch, Director of Academic Information Resources, describes a different challenge , "Try to imagine a country without public or school libraries! That's Guatemala. The government does not see this as a problem. They have more urgent issues: health, security, basic education. The majority of our population has never had the chance to use a library, to exercise their critical skills, and develop their imagination through reading.
"Elsevier's gift will be housed in our open shelf library. Anyone, including students from other universities, professors, and practicing doctors will be able to search our Web catalog from wherever they are, visit the library, and walk up to the book they wish to use. During September and October, the books will be on display in a special area of the library's lobby so users will have immediate access to these new resources. A staff member will be on hand to answer users' questions."
"One of our main challenges in acquiring books is the cost of transporting them to Guatemala -- an average of $7 per volume. We would not be able to afford the many thousands of dollars this donation is worth. These books provide our users with access to information they could not get in any other way."
Grete Pasch
Director of Academic Information Resources
Universidad Francisco Marroquin
Universidad San Francisco de Quito, Equador
"It is a pleasure for me to communicate to you that the books donated by Elsevier have arrived at our library. On behalf of the entire university, I would like to once again express our appreciation for this generous gift to the library of Universidad San Francisco de Quito...I would like to thank all the people who have been involved in Elsevier's "A Book in your Name" project, especially Lenny Rhine, who suggested the name of our library to be one of the beneficiaries of this donation..."
Thais Pinto de Valdivieso
Library Director
Universidad San Francisco de Quito
On November 23, 2005, the officers of the Universidad San Francisco de Quito, the library staff, and the university's professorial and student community gathered for the official presentation of the Elsevier book collection. Marcio Gama, the University's Elsevier account manager joined in the festive commemoration.
College of Medicine and Allied Health Sciences, University of Sierra Leone
Nance M'Jamtu-Sie, a medical librarian, shares her library's struggle, "Our library is the only medical library in Sierra Leone and it serves our entire healthcare community. We have not been able to order new books because civil war has devastated the economic base of our country. The library depends solely on donations. These books will make a positive impact on undergraduate studies and continuing professional development at COMAHS, truly enhancing our collection development. Elsevier has definitely contributed to the saving of lives in my country."
Nance M'Jamtu-Sie
Medical Librarian
University of Sierra Leone
"The books are the most expensive and useful we have received over the years. Both staff and students are delighted. The students were especially thrilled with the multiple copies of Gray's Anatomy."
Prof. S.M. Gevao
Deputy Vice Chancellor
University of Sierra Leone
College of Medicine, University of Malawi
Established in September 1991, the College of Medicine is the fifth and youngest in the federal set up of the University of Malawi. To date, it has produced more than 215 graduates all of whom are Malawians who qualified with Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery Degree(MBBS). College Librarian, Gift Kadzamira was pleased to accept the Elsevier Collection on behalf of its students.
Gift A. Kadzamira
College Librarian
College of Medicine
Blantyre, Malawi
425 - 125 Years of Publishing Tradition and Excellence
Elsevier's history is one of a series of collaborations in the effort to advance health and science. The fruits of the collaboration between Elsevier and the eclectic group of scientific visionaries that it has published - ranging from Jules Verne to Stephen W. Hawking - are obvious. Less obvious, but no less important are the cumulative efforts of the men and women who have dedicated their lives to disseminating and using scientific and medical knowledge: the editors, the printers, the librarians, the nurses, the doctors, the engineers, the information specialists, and the business people who coordinate the effort. Last but not least, Elsevier has enjoyed a number of crucial relationships with other great science publishers ? North-Holland, Excerpta Medica, Pergamon, Mosby, W.B. Saunders, Churchill-Livingston and Academic Press ? to name but a few of the companies that are now part of the Elsevier family, bringing with them long and rich histories of their own. As the company moves forward into the new millennium its founding motto seems more apt than ever: Non Solus, not alone.Quick facts about Elsevier's history.
The ''A Book in Your Name'' Program
In celebration of this rich history, Elsevier has launched a global book donation program entitled ''A Book in Your Name.'' As part of this program, each of the 6700 Elsevier employees worldwide has been invited to select 1 of 10 developing country libraries to receive a book donated by Elsevier. The “A Book in Your Name” program aims to link the individual action of all Elsevier employees to a collective effort to advance knowledge about science and health around the world. Please click here for a quick overview of the program.
Frequently Asked Questions about ''A Book in Your Name''
