CRL and the Greater Western Library Alliance recently sponsored a forum on Global Water: 2010 and Beyond. This event brought together librarians, faculty, policy makers, specialists, and other users to identify specific challenges, needs, and priorities in the demand for water-related information and data.

In the U.S., information about water supply, quality and management has proliferated in recent years through the provision of real-time data, site inventory information, and other databases. Local archives collect information on their own regions, while major national organizations and government agencies aggregate and present data of broader interest. This data is seeing increasing use for governmental, academic, and even recreational purposes. Unfortunately, the demand for water-related information has not been matched by levels of funding at the national or local level. Institutions compete for a diminishing pool of resources. Moreover, the accessibility of historical resources is constrained by lack of digitization, inconsistent metadata, and insufficient sharing of information among the community on available resources.

This Webinar will summarize the discussions of the two-day forum and discuss how libraries and archives might work together to improve long-term access to data and scholarly resources on water issues.