The Center for Research Libraries is pleased to announce its new Mission and Vision statement, one of the results of a comprehensive review of CRL’s institutional goals and governance.  

This statement has been developed by the CRL Board in tandem with its ongoing revision of CRL’s bylaws. “Sound governance is critical to the success of a collective like CRL,” says John Culshaw, CRL Board Member and Chair of CRL’s Governance Task Force. “The Board’s Governance Task Force has been working to update CRL’s Mission, Vision, and Values Statement and Bylaws. The Board approved the revised Mission and Vision at its November meeting and is currently finalizing updates to the Values and plans to discuss and approve them at our February meeting. After the February Board meeting, we anticipate sharing a draft of the revised Bylaws as well as scheduling a virtual Town Hall to give CRL voting members an opportunity to provide feedback.” 

“The Mission and Vision emphasize that CRL is a present-tense organization,” adds Jacob Nadal, CRL President. “The new mission and vision statement reflects a cooperative and forward-looking mindset. They are a reminder that, although we are stewards of centuries’ worth of resources, our job is to make good decisions today that will shape the future we want to have.” 

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.