Collections at CRL

CRL was founded as a cooperative interlibrary center for March 1949 when 10 major U.S. universities entered into a formal agreement to establish the Midwest Inter-library Corporation (MILC). 

Early deposits from the members were materials that has outlived their immediate usefulness at their respective campuses but were worth retaining for historical purposes. Hence our earliest strengths were built on college textbooks, catalogues, dissertations, government documents, and publications from scientific and learned societies. Collection building efforts soon included direct subscriptions to U.S. and foreign newspapers, and hundreds of other serial titles, relieving the member libraries from having redundant subscriptions across the membership. 

Over time CRL created and adopted different programs, projects, and initiatives that expanded our collection strengths and methods of collecting. In the 1960's six Area Microform Projects, which were later renamed Areas Materials Projects (AMPs), began collaborating with international organizations to film collections of primary and secondary research materials to create shared stable copies for the members. Each with different origin stories and developmental paths, these were the Cooperative Africana Microform Project (CAMP), Latin American Microfilm Project (LAMP), Middle East Microform Project (MEMP), Slavic and East European Microform Project (SEEMP), South Asia Microform Project (SAMP), and the Southeast Asia Microformat Project (SEAM). See https://www.crl.edu/collaborations/global-resources-programs

The early 2000's ushered in the addition of the Global Resources Network, a collection of new programs to connect U.S. and Canadian libraries with international research institutions. The GRN programs included the Cooperative African Newspaper Project (AFRINUL), German-North American Resources Partnership (GNARP), Latin Americanist Research Resources Project (LARRP), Collaborative Initiative for French Language Collections (CIFNAL), and the Digital South Asia Library (DSAL). Again, these programs came from different sources with unique paths of development. With an emphasis on expanding collection access, their work supported building systems for access, discovery, and delivery between complementary research collections. 

In 2025, CRL implemented the Global Collections Committees (GCC), see: https://www.crl.edu/gcc. Starting with Area Studies committees to continue the historical collections and relationships build by the AMP and GRN programs, the GCC model is flexible and extensible by building out CRL project management support, reinvigorating collection development in print and digital resources, and expanding licensing support. 

This page highlights historical distinctions of the collection, including uncatalogued and partially cataloged collections, and current practices in collection development and maintenance. 

CRL Collection Philosophy

As a membership organization, the primary community served by CRL’s collections are member libraries and affiliated researchers. CRL provides rich, diverse, and relevant collections and services that complement the aggregate of their local collections.

CRL is actively developing a Global Collection that reflects a multi-faceted approach to collecting materials which represent diverse perspectives, regions, and disciplines that include voices and knowledge systems worldwide. Our work reflects our understanding that all human knowledge is interconnected and requires a collection strategy that reflects the global nature of scholarship. We affirm having an ethical responsibility to acquire, steward, and provide access to collections in a manner consistent with our mission vision and values.

Our collections and services complement and reinforce each other to support researchers at member institutions and other communities. Our Open Access Initiative Policy articulates our efforts to advocate for and support publishing in a public sphere and to facilitate access to content in the public domain. Our Interlibrary Loan policies responsibly extend access to our collections beyond membership without compromising the benefits of a shared collection.

CRL is committed to preservation and participating in coordinated projects with our member and partner institutions. CRL takes proactive measures to care for our physical and digital collections and selectively accepts member transfers of at-risk and other content that falls within CRL collection areas of emphasis.

CRL Collection Principles

CRL collects materials directly through purchase, exchange, deposit, and born-digital ingest based on established policies and guidelines authorized by CRL’s Board of Directors with the advice and recommendations of the Collections and Services Policy Committee (CSPC).

• We build upon a history of distinctive international collections
• CRL collections complement our members’ collections
• CRL collecting efforts evolve to meet member needs
• We practice sustainable and ethical stewardship

More information about or Collection Philosophy and Principles can be found here.

Please also see the CRL Preservation Policy for information on collection activities.

CRL Key Collections

CRL has several collections of distinction build over time. Our catalog features limiters for the following key collections:

• Conference Proceedings
• Dissertations
• Government Documents
• JSTOR
• Newspapers
• Online Resources
• Serials

Below is a list of other selected highlights.

Law and government information

CRL collects broadly in primary legal and government resources, with an emphasis on serial publications from central governments including legislative, administrative, financial, and statistical reports.

CRL purchases government archives and records through CRL's cooperative collection building programs.  

Foreign Official Gazette Database

An official gazette is the legal newspaper of a country—or a subdivision of a country—that publishes authoritative legal information. It serves as a critical source for:

• New laws and legislation

• Decrees and executive orders

• Regulations and administrative rules

• Treaties and international agreements

• Legal notices and court decisions

The version published in an official gazette is typically:

• The primary source of law in that jurisdiction

• The only official and authoritative version available

• The starting point for legal effect, as publication often triggers enforcement

The Foreign Official Gazette (FOG) database provides access to records for approximately 650 official gazette titles from countries outside the United States.

FOG serves as a union list—a collective index of holdings—representing the major collections housed across North America, including:

• The Center for Research Libraries (CRL)

• Five other major academic and research libraries

Browse Database

Click here to view the more information about the FOG program and database.

Digitized Official Gazettes

In 2014, CRL was awarded a grant from the Carnegie Corporation of New York to preserve and make available on the open web endangered government documentation from ten African and Persian Gulf nations where the integrity of the public record is at risk. CRL worked with partners such as LLMC, the University of Chicago, Columbia University, LA Law Library, New York Public Library, and Princeton University to source content for scanning.

Digitized content is presented via a specialized Digital Collections page (Official Gazettes & Civil Society Documentation), which enables issue-level browsing and text searching within each item.

The Foreign Government Documents Collection includes:

• Several hundred thousand volumes from government agencies in over 100 countries.
• Historical collections with original format government documents and microform collections (purchased or acquired via cooperative programs).

The U.S. State Government Documents Collection includes:

• Over half a million volumes from state government agencies and legislatures (up to 1950).
• Financial reports and research studies.
• This collection excludes: Internal agency newsletters, agricultural station publications, maps, state court reports.

Most of the collection is not cataloged; to identify resources, consult state publications checklists or email CRL’s Access Services. 

Science, technology, and engineering

CRL houses a large collection of science and technology periodicals in many languages, including rare titles not commonly found in North American research libraries. It also offers extensive historical holdings of U.S. and international scientific and technical publications.

You can access this collection through our catalog. After searching keywords or subjects, you can limit by language in the right search refinement panel.

Archives

CRL has millions of pages of documents, including:

• Major sets from the US National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), The National Archives of the UK, and other national and intergovernmental bodies. 
• Extensive archival sets from federal and state agencies and commissions; nongovernmental organizations; and scholarly and missionary societies.
• Many special collections of archival and primary source material from various world regions (such as the 100,000-plus-page archive of Cambodia's notorious Khmer Rouge regime). 

• Search catalog with genre set to "archives" - Click Here

Newspapers

CRL holds more than 19,000 newspaper titles from countries in all world regions, and from every US state, including more than 1,800 U.S. ethnic titles and some of the earliest African American papers. CRL currently subscribes to dozens of international newspapers and to many US ethnic press papers.

CRL microfilms current issues of selected international newspapers on an ongoing basis, in addition to the back files of important newspapers identified through collaborative programs.  

• Search catalog with "key collection" set to "newspaper" - Click Here

Serials

Rich historical collections, as well as current subscriptions, to more than 7,000 titles rarely held in North American libraries (in print, microformats, and digital) including the following categories:

• Foreign-language science and technology periodicals
• US trade and industrial journals
• South Asian serials acquired through the Library of Congress South Asia Cooperative Acquisitions Program (SACAP), Pakistan, Iran. Afghanistan (PIACAP), and Southeast Asian serials acquired through the Library of Congress Cooperative Acquisitions Program for Southeast Asia (CAP-SEA).
• Search Catalog with "key collection" set to "serials" - Click Here

• Retrospective print archive of titles digitized through JSTOR.  
  • Search catalog with "key collection" set to "JSTOR" - Click Here

Monographs

CRL holds more than 1,000,000 monographs in all formats. Ongoing acquisitions include:

• Major microform sets in literature, art, theater, music, science, and other fields.
• Unique publications from South and Southeast Asia produced by governmental and nongovernmental organizations in those regions. 

• Search our catalog - Click Here

Maps

While not a particular strength of the collection, CRL does have some unusual and unexpected cartographic material.

• Browse catalog with genre set to "maps" - Click Here

International doctoral dissertations

CRL acquires hundreds of non-US, non-Canadian doctoral dissertations a year to add to its 800,000+ collection of dissertations. Acquisitions are primarily through the demand purchase program. 

• Search the catalog with "key collection" set to "dissertations" - Click Here

Some of our first collections at CRL were built from pulling together the deposits of our members into a single collection. We owe deep gratitude to our members, whose dedication has been instrumental in making this work possible. The collection of these materials required significant supplementary efforts over an extended period of time

When the material is primarily uncatalogued, the link below may lead to a PDF guide or index of the material. For questions about specific collections with limited searchability, please email for assistance.

College and University Catalogs

• Materials date from 1820 to 1974
• Includes U.S. college catalogs in their original format.
• Institutions represented include colleges, universities, junior colleges, professional schools, and preparatory schools (19th century inclusive, 20th century selective) including undergraduate, graduate, and professional divisions.
• Additional documents include charters, by-laws, and reports from presidents, chancellors, treasurers, and comptrollers.
• The collection is highly comprehensive, including institutions no longer in existence.
• Some material has been cataloged, but please refer to the linked PDF for a complete list

Primary and Secondary Textbooks

• Publication dates range from the 18th to 20th century (mostly 20th century)
• Includes U.S. primary and secondary schoolbooks and textbooks for non-degree schools.
• Represents all common U.S. primary and secondary school subjects with the strongest holdings in English studies and mathematics with substantial holdings in social sciences, health, science, and foreign languages.
• Covers foreign language grammar and readers up to the college level.

Curriculum Guides

• Publications mostly from the 20th century, with some 19th-century materials.
• K-12 curriculum guides from U.S. state, county, municipal, or district agencies for all subjects.
• Not cataloged but are arranged on the shelf by state, geographic entity within the state, subject, date of publication and title, please email for assistance.

International Central Bank Publications

• Foreign Bank Publications include serials from banks outside the U.S.
• Covers both public and private banks, organized by country.
• Collection maintained through direct subscriptions since 1956.

Reference Books Archive

• Mainly used for special research projects.
• CRL manages the Reference Books Archive Project for preserving physical materials.
• Older reference books contain information not available in electronic sources.

Railroad Collection

• contains hard copy annual reports, timetables, tariffs, and promotional materials of U.S. and foreign railroads.
• bulk of the collection from the post-Civil War period through the 1930s.
• earliest dates of these publications are the 1840s.

Aligning with our Collection Philosophy, Principles, and Emphases, CRL is committed to building a Global Collection with Area Studies collections of excellence and communities of practice. In support of this this work, in 2025, CRL implemented the Global Collections Committees (GCC) to continue the historical collections and relationships build by the AMP and GRN programs. The GCC model is flexible and extensible, based on strong CRL project management support, reinvigorated collection development in print and digital resources, and expanded licensing support. 

Current Global Collection Committees are:

• African Studies Collections Committee (ASCC)
• East Asia Collections Committee (EACC) 
• French Language Collections Committee (FLCC) 
• German Language Collections Committee (GLCC)
• Latin American Collections Committee (LACC)
• Slavic and Eastern European Collections Committee (SEECC) 
• South Asia Collections Committee (SACC) 
• Southeast Asia Collections Committee (SEACC)
• West Asia and North Africa Collections Committee (WANACC)

For more information, please see: Global Collections Committees | Center for Research Libraries

Guided by CRL’s Collection Philosophy and Principles, and grounded in our Mission, Vision, and Values, the areas outlined below represent CRL’s historical and ongoing collections of distinction. These globally significant collections are being built in collaboration with the research community and focus on specific subjects, formats, and other collecting parameters that support advanced research and long-term scholarly inquiry.

Supporting our current CRL Collection Principles, CRL highlights the following strengths, or our collection based on historical practices and programs. 

• Global Newspapers
• North American / U.S. Ethnic Newspapers
• Global Theses and Dissertations (outside U.S. and Canada)
• Global Resources and Area Studies

More information about our collection emphases can be found at: CRL Collection Emphases 

CRL has a user-responsive digitization program with generous limits of material we will scan for researchers as member institutions, please see: Digital Delivery | Center for Research Libraries 

We also have extensive online holdings from planned and requested digitization projects. All materials digitized from CRL collections can be discovered through CRL’s online catalog, as well as WorldCat and various web-scale library discovery services and our digital hosting platform CRL Digital Collections

Below is a limited selection of larger collaborative projects, sometimes in partnership with a commercial vendor, as part of our ongoing effort to provide greater access to our collections. 

Access to the materials depends on where they are hosted.

More information can be found at: Access to CRL Digitized Resources | Center for Research Libraries

American Periodicals from the Center for Research Libraries (APCRL) is a digital collection of 375 popular and trade journals from Center for Research Library collections digitized in collaboration with ProQuest. CRL undertook the American Periodicals digitization project to provide electronic access to materials that have seen increasing use in recent years, and to protect the fragile originals from harm or loss through handling and use.  The resulting database completed in 2012, “American Periodicals from the Center for Research Libraries” (APCRL), provides full text and full-color scans of just over three million pages of CRL journal content.

American Periodicals from CRL | Center for Research Libraries

The Latin American Materials Project (LAMP) at the Center for Research Libraries received funds in 1994 from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation to explore aspects of digitization from microfilm. Working in cooperation with the Biblioteca Nacional do Rio de Janeiro, LAMP selected its collection of Brazilian government documents because of their scarcity, importance, and volume. Completed in December 2000, the project digitized more than 673,000 images of government publications, freely available over the web.

For more information, please see: Brazilian Government Document Digitization Project | Center for Research Libraries

The World Newspaper Archive is an online database of digitized historical newspapers, created by CRL in partnership with Readex, a division of NewsBank. The initiative has drawn upon the holdings, expertise and resources of CRL and its member libraries to preserve and provide access to historical newspapers from around the globe.

For more information, please see: World Newspaper Archive | Center for Research Libraries 

Latin American Newspapers provides more than 35 fully searchable newspapers published in the 19th and 20th centuries from Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Cuba, Guatemala, Mexico, Peru, Venezuela, and elsewhere. Latin American Newspapers offers unprecedented coverage of the people, issues, and events that shaped this vital region between 1805 and 1922.

For more information, please see: WNA - Latin American Newspapers | Center for Research Libraries

African Newspapers is the second collection module of the World Newspaper Archive, produced by CRL in partnership with Readex, a division of NewsBank. This collection provides access to more than 40 fully searchable African newspaper titles, published between 1800 and 1922. African Newspapers features titles from Ghana, Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, South Africa, Uganda, and Zimbabwe. Languages include English, German, French, Portuguese, Afrikaans, Xhosa, Sotho, and others.

For more information, please see: WNA - African Newspapers | Center for Research Libraries

South Asian Newspapers is the third collection module of the World Newspaper Archive, created in partnership with Readex, a division of NewsBank. Currently available to CRL members, the collection provides more than 400,000 fully searchable pages of newspapers published in South Asia between 1864 and 1922.

For more information, please see: WNA - South Asian Newspapers | Center for Research Libraries