CRL and the Linda Hall Library of Science, Engineering & Technology (LHL) are working together to preserve, further develop and provide access to historical research collections in the fields of science, technology, and engineering. The partnership builds upon the rich holdings of print serials in those fields assembled by the two institutions during the past six decades, which together constitute a premier library of global science. CRL and LHL are combining resources to promote the visibility of the Designated Collections worldwide, and make them available electronically and through traditional inter library loan and document delivery to researchers through CRL member libraries.
The partnership commenced July 2012 for an initial five years. In 2017, CRL and LHL renewed the partnership for an additional ten year term (through June 2027).
Designated Collections
The collections covered by the partnership include issues of more than 50,000 combined journal titles acquired and maintained by CRL and LHL to date including:
- Current and back file STE print serials from Elsevier, Wiley, Springer, and other publishers
- Historical science serials published by the Russian Academy of Sciences and other learned societies in Europe, Asia, and the U.S.
- Foreign serials in the fields of Physics, Chemistry, and Engineering received through the Library of Congress Cooperative Acquisition Program
- Engineering specifications, technical reports, standards, and other publications of U.S. and foreign government agencies
- Other historical serials (aside from those in the Linda Hall Library rare book collections).
Services to CRL Libraries
LHL provides the following benefits to CRL and its member libraries:
- Maintain the designated collections on the premises of its facility in Kansas City under appropriate security and climate control
- Maintain subscriptions to designated serial holdings titles (based on LHL’s budget and mutual agreement with CRL)
- Annually deliver to CRL issue level holdings information on designated serial titles for inclusion in the PAPR database.
- Provide document delivery of articles to CRL libraries through the RapidILL document delivery service.
- Digitize selected historical journal titles that have not been digtized by HathiTrust, JSTOR, the original publishers, or others. On a mutually established timetable, CRL transfers its holdings of serial volumes to be digitized to LHL to augment and fill gaps in the designated collections.
Joint CRL and LHL Responsibilities
The institutions are working together to promote visibility and use of the designated collections, and to secure additional resources for preservation, digitization, and further development of the designated collections.
Together CRL and LHL will acquire for the designated collections appropriate historical monographs, serials, and related materials in the history of science, technology, and engineering of interest to scholars at CRL libraries. All collecting will be contingent upon the availability of funds.
CRL and LHL formed a Global Resources STE steering committee to guide digitization and future development of the designated collections. At present, the steering committee is inactive, but may be re-formed should the need arise.
Related Documentation
Collections Policies for the CRL / Linda Hall Library Partnership
- CRL / LHL Partnership Collections Policies (Executive Summary)
- CRL / LHL Collections Development Policy for Serials
- CRL / LHL Collections Management Policy for Books
2013 Collections Assessment
- Presentation Summary (April 2013) - CRL/LHL Collection Assessment
- Comparison of CRL/LHL Serial Holdings to ARL and Top STE libraries
- Comparison of CRL/LHL Monographic Holdings to ARL and Top STE libraries
