The Global Resources Forum, a set of activities and resources evolved from longstanding CRL cooperative collection-building efforts, is a venue for the exchange of collection-related information. The purposes of the Forum are to:

• Support informed, strategic local collection decisions
• Enable CRL libraries to optimize return on their investments in digital collections and services
• Help libraries and consortia better manage the costs of physical collections

CRL recently opened the Global Resources Forum section on its website. The section offers four main tools to help CRL libraries make informed collection decisions:

• Reviews include information on major primary source databases and collections—such as Times of India, Pravda, and British Records on the Atlantic World—from specialists in the CRL community.
• Profiles of major repositories like Portico and UMI analyze the trustworthiness and sustainability of electronic resources and repositories for the research community.
• Topic Guides to collections and resources in CRL areas of focus, dealing with subjects like water resources and medieval studies.
• Data & Tools has a searchable knowledge-base about print archive initiatives like the Print Archives and Preservation Registry, including archive conditions, holdings, and collection analysis.

The Forum is intended to foster community exchange of information, through analysis, reviews, feedback and comments contributed by individuals at CRL libraries, and discussions in Forum webinars and teleconferences.

For more information on the Global Resources Forum, contact Virginia Kerr, CRL Digital Programs Manager.