CHICAGO, IL – The Center for Research Libraries (CRL) is delighted to announce that as of January 1, 2021 the University System of Maryland and Affiliated Institutions (USMAI) Library Consortium joined CRL. The USMAI consortium includes 17 academic and specialized libraries within 15 institutions.
“We are excited to join CRL. Belonging to CRL makes our consortium and its libraries stronger and better able to fulfill their core missions," said Chuck Thomas, Executive Director of USMAI.
USMAI is the first consortium to join under CRL’s new consortium membership model. The 15 organizations joining CRL are:
- Bowie State University
- Coppin State University
- Frostburg State University
- Loyola / Notre Dame Library (an independent 501(c)(3) organization serving Loyola University Maryland and Notre Dame of Maryland University)
- Morgan State University
- Salisbury University
- St. Mary’s College of Maryland
- Towson University
- University of Baltimore
- University of Maryland – Baltimore
- University of Maryland – Baltimore County
- University of Maryland - Center for Environmental Science
- University of Maryland – College Park
- University of Maryland – Eastern Shore
- University of Maryland – Global Campus
CRL’s partnership with USMAI has been designed to ensure that CRL’s body of members represents the full spectrum of research libraries, reinforcing one of CRL’s core values, to meaningfully include all voices in the creation and preservation of the research library and knowledge ecosystem.
USMAI libraries collectively serve nearly 190,000 undergraduate and graduate students. Thomas added that the USMAI member institutions, “reflect the full range of diversity you might expect to find in larger states and consortia in terms of institutional size, mission, educational programs, availability of library resources, rural and urban locations, and the faculty and student populations they serve.”
CRL’s collective collections consist of primary source materials beyond what is available in most individual libraries and as an organization, promotes collaboration among institutions to ensure those collections support innovation in teaching and research. As CRL members, USMAI joins an essential effort to preserve and make important resources available to support top-tier research.
“One of the most critical issues facing research libraries is how can we work together to address shared challenges and advance shared values. By connecting consortia with consortia, as this partnership does, research libraries can leverage the power of the community at scale,” said Greg Eow, CRL President.
CRL’s collections and services are shaped by experts who work together to identify, preserve, and make available unique and uncomment materials to ensure research materials long-term integrity and continued accessibility worldwide.
