Sri Lanka Journals Online (SLJOL): Providing Global Visibility to Local Research Output

Abstract

Journals, which very often carry the first hand information on research in progress, are valuable sources in any academic discipline. However, access to journal literature is not equal in libraries, especially in the developing regions, due to increasing cost of subscriptions and shrinking library budgets. Open Access publishing plays a vital role in this venture by enabling journal articles freely accessible via online. Purpose of this paper is to explore the SLJOL project and identify its’ role in the dissemination of local research output. Mainly the review of existing literature and online site visits were used as primary data collection methods. It is concluded that the SLJOL project plays a pivotal role in the process of providing global visibility to local research literature and several suggestions are made for further improvements of the service.