Universal access to information and knowledge lies UNESCO's overall mandate to promote the free flow of information by word and by image and thus to place information and knowledge at the doorsteps of communities. UNESCO strives to forge an enabling environment to facilitate and open up avenues for universal access to information and knowledge.

The South Asia sub-region is now in the forefront of the Open Access movement within developing countries in the world, with India being the most prominent partner in terms of its successful Open Access and Digital Library initiatives. Institutional and policy frameworks in India also facilitate innovative solutions for increasing international visibility and accessibility of scholarly literature and documentary heritage in this country.

This publication has its genesis in the recommendations and proceedings of UNESCO-supported the 4th international conferences and workshops including the 4 International Conference of Asian Digital Libraries (ICADL2001, Bangalore); the International Conferences on Digital Libraries (ICDL2004 & ICDL2006, New Delhi); and the International Workshop on Greenstone Digital Library software (2006, Kozhikode), where many information professionals of this sub-region demonstrated their Digital Library and Open Access Initiatives. It discusses successful activities in the South Asia subregion bringing closer to the worldwide audience, the subject of access to scholarly literature and documentary heritage. This may thus be considered an authoritative source-book on Open Access Development in this sub-region.