GCC Project Support

CRL Collection Project Support Programs

One of our programs supporting the CRL mission of collecting, stewarding, and sharing the record of human expression is Project Support. Projects are discrete efforts to move our mission forward: time-bound and budgeted, with measurable success indicators. This program permits flexibility within a larger structure to focus our resources for enhancement, preservation, and access for targeted objectives. CRL provides the infrastructure to conduct projects that advance its mission and its members interests. By pooling members’ dues to created shared infrastructure, CRL gives its members a cost-effective vehicle to take on a variety of projects.

One of CRL's core functions is to maintain ready-to-go project support services, so members can focus on identifying opportunities relevant to our shared mission, rather than working out operation details. CRL allocates funds, staffing, equipment, physical space, virtual storage, and other resources to plan, manage, execute, and sustain projects identified and developed by member area subject specialists working in Global Collections Committees.

Project Planning Guidelines

CRL supports GCC reformatting efforts for scholarly materials through vendors, with partners, and onsite for our own material. These initiatives aim to preserve facilitate discovery, and, when possible, provide open access to resources such as newspapers, journals, monographs, archival materials, digital-born, and multimedia content.

Project Scope and Eligibility

  • Projects must align with CRL’s collection strategy.
  • Projects should focus on materials that are unique or not widely available.
  • Projects should follow best practices for selection, digitization, metadata, and long-term access.
  • Funding and Support

CRL supports or absorbs costs related to:

  • Organization and description of materials.
  • Preparatory conservation work.
  • Metadata creation.
  • Reformatting, especially for fragile materials, using existing CRL equipment or established vendors.
  • Technical infrastructure and presentation.

Other costs may be viable but require case-by-case evaluation, including:

  • Equipment purchases, either for CRL or partner institutions (forthcoming)
  • Staffing support, as additional CRL staff, partners, or contractors (forthcoming)

How to design your project plan:

  1. Narrative

    1. Title & Abstract

      1. Provide a brief description of the proposal, including its scholarly value. This should identify users for the resources and any plans of the GCC to promote the materials to users. To facilitate CRL promotion, please consider: who needs to know about this material, what do they need to know about the work, why should they be excited about content, why are we doing this now?

      2. Include bibliographic details and information on preservation efforts.

    2. Content Description

      1. Specify the format of materials (print, photographs, digital images, etc.)

      2. Specify the item type (serial, newspaper, monograph, etc.)

      3. Detail physical characteristics (size, volumes, condition).

      4. Is the material cataloged, and are records provided?

      5. Describe conservation efforts needed, and risks associated with digitization. (Will the owning library allow procedures such as loosening strings so that you can open the books wider and or cut book covers to open the material?)

      6. Disposition of material: return to owning library, deposit with CRL, or discard. If not deposit w/CRL, we’d like right to adopt if they ever discard

      7. Specify Language(s) and country (countries) of origin.

    3. Copyright & Permissions

      1. If copyrighted, who owns the content and has permission been arranged?

      2. If public domain, confirm how this was determined.

  2. Budget

    1. Present estimated costs per project phase, if known.

    2. List requested funding and other anticipated funding sources, if applicable

Project Proposal Process

  • Members submit project ideas through the appropriate GCC.

  • The GCC develops and refines the proposal, including a project liaison.

  • The proposal is submitted via CRL’s online form or with a PDF requested from CRL.

  • CRL staff review logistics, costs, and resources with the project manager and committee.

  • CRL consults with the submitting group to confirm details and revise the proposal as needed.

  • CRL finalizes the work plan and budget, then executes the project.

Project Proposal form: Short Project Proposal for Global Collection Program