Who we are
The Center for Research Libraries (CRL) is a global network of university, college, and research libraries that has supported original research and multidisciplinary teaching for over 75 years.
Researchers worldwide benefit from CRL's shared collections, which enhance local library resources, and from services designed to maximize their impact and accessibility. CRL members actively shape its direction through participation in the Board, committees, and working groups.
Together, CRL staff and members address key challenges in scholarly research by:
- Building shared physical and digital collections to complement member libraries.
- Providing cost-effective, on-demand digitization for easier access.
- Minimizing duplication and aligning physical preservation with digital access.
- Offering tools and services to guide smarter collection decisions.
Our Mission
The Center for Research Libraries contributes to the preservation and sharing of knowledge by collecting and stewarding the record of human expression in partnership with its members.
Our Vision
We envision a world in which the research library community harnesses collective action and the power of the CRL network to cooperatively build, steward, and share accessible and sustainable collections to advance the creation of knowledge.
Our Values
At the Center for Research Libraries, in our individual work as well as collaborations with our members, we are guided by these values:
- Global – We emphasize the importance of international collaboration, fostering work and partnerships that transcend borders and barriers to advance shared goals in service to our mission.
- Stewardship – We affirm our responsibility in the collective effort to preserve and share the documentary record and cultural heritage, upholding cooperation in this work as essential to the universal human right to participate in cultural life and share knowledge.
- Community – We are committed to fostering community and facilitating opportunities for learning and growth across disciplines, geographies, languages, and professions.
- Access – We strive to improve access to information across the knowledge ecosystem. Integrity – We uphold principles of transparency, consistency, and honesty in all our work, fostering an environment grounded in ethical collaboration.
- Sustainability – We are dedicated to cultivating practices and partnerships that ensure the sustainable stewardship of collections, services, and community resources.
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