Many major microform sets and collections are too costly for individual institutions to acquire, and are often not readily available through interlibrary loan. The Purchase Proposal Program permits member libraries to nominate microform and hard copy collections for CRL purchase that meet the following criteria:
- Cost $1,000 or more
- Satisfy one of the following:
- Form a coherent unit
- Consist of separate works that are all listed in an existing standard bibliography or fall within an easily definable class
- Reproduce a single known collection
- Are not readily available for loan from five or more CRL libraries
Not eligible for purchase under the program are:
- Reference works, unless they relate to a collection held by or being purchased by CRL
- Selections from a large body of material, unless they meet the criteria set forth above
- Sets that assemble in one place material that is already easily available from a variety of sources
- Original archival materials
- Rare books
Once a year, nominations are compiled into a ballot and CRL voting members rank their preferences for purchase. CRL then buys down the ranked list as far as funds allow.
Through this program, CRL has acquired such collections as:
- Curzon India and Empire Pt 1
- The German Colonial Archives Reichskolonialamt R1001 guide
- Empire and Commonwealth pts 1 & 2; Masculinity, 1560–1918: Men Defining Men and Gentlemen
- Plantation Life in the Caribbean
