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Who we are
The Center for Research Libraries (CRL) is a global network of university, college, and research libraries that has supported original research and multidisciplinary teaching for over 75 years.
Researchers worldwide benefit from CRL's shared collections, which enhance local library resources, and from services designed to maximize their impact and accessibility. CRL members actively shape its direction through participation in the Board, committees, and working groups.
Together, CRL staff and members address key challenges in scholarly research by:
- Building shared physical and digital collections to complement member libraries.
- Providing cost-effective, on-demand digitization for easier access.
- Minimizing duplication and aligning physical preservation with digital access.
- Offering tools and services to guide smarter collection decisions.
Learn more about the scope of our work and what's in store for CRL.
Highlights of our Digital Collections
Brazilian Government Documents
Executive branch serial documents issued by Brazil’s national government between 1821 and 1993, and by its provincial governments from the earliest available to the end of the first Republic in 1930.
Sajjad Zaheer and Razia Sajjad Zaheer archives.
Collection of material by and about Sajjad Zahir and Raziyyah Sajjad Zahir, including correspondence, newspaper articles, notes, manuscripts, books, photographs, and miscellaneous materials.
Historical botanical illustrations preserved at East African Herbarium in Nairobi, Kenya
Collection of over 1500 plant species illustrations dating back to 1929 held by East African Herbarium in Nairobi, Kenya, and digitized by them, 2018-2019.
News
CRL Launches Initiative to Create a New Model for Cooperative Cataloging
The Center for Research Libraries (CRL) is launching a pilot project to explore a new data model for cooperative cataloging, grounded in matching theory. This approach focuses on creating chains or cycles of cataloging exchanges, rather than...
Jacob Nadal Presidential Address, CRL 2025 Annual Meeting
Jacob Nadal closed out CRL's 2025 Annual Meeting — his first at the CRL helm since joining the Center in November 2024 — with a Presidential Address that touched on themes including viewing CRL as a joint venture with its members, the importance of...