The Center for Research Libraries (CRL) marked the completion of the inaugural year of the Global Collections Committees (GCC) Program. During its inaugural year, the GCC program engaged more than 175 volunteer leaders and committee members representing 57 CRL member institutions across nine subject- and region-focused Global Collections Committees. Together, these volunteers advanced 12 projects and $200,000 in spending on preservation and access for global information.
Beyond funding projects, the committees laid the foundation for a sustainable, member-driven program. Throughout the year, committee members:
- Established leadership and governance structures for all nine committees.
- Developed strategic priorities and collection goals within their respective subject areas.
- Participated in the inaugural GCC project proposal and evaluation process.
- Shared expertise on emerging collection needs and preservation priorities.
- Fostered new connections among librarians, scholars, and collection specialists across the CRL membership.
Investing in Access
The inaugural funding cycle approved projects that expand access to unique research collections through digitization, making historically significant materials more broadly available while preserving original formats for future generations.
Among the approved projects is the digitization of three English-language newspapers from colonial India—The Delhi Gazette, The Bombay Chronicle, and The Mofussilite. Together, these newspapers document diverse perspectives on colonial society, politics, and public discourse, expanding access to important primary sources for researchers worldwide.
The committees also approved the digitization of German-American newspapers documenting immigrant life in Chicago during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Published primarily for German-speaking communities, these newspapers provide rich documentation of immigrant experiences, labor movements, and the social and cultural history of one of America's largest immigrant populations.
Preserving the Scholarly Record
Long-term preservation remained a central priority throughout the inaugural funding cycle. The committees approved projects that strengthen long-term preservation of unique international newspaper collections while ensuring continued access for future researchers.
The African Studies Collections Committee and French Language Collections Committee recommended expanding support for the Library of Congress Cooperative Acquisitions Program by acquiring selected French- and Portuguese-language newspapers from Africa. In addition to supporting current access through subscriptions, the committees recommended purchasing four newspaper titles on microfilm to establish centralized archival holdings at CRL, ensuring these resources remain available to future researchers while reducing the need for individual institutions to maintain duplicate preservation copies.
Additional preservation projects will safeguard unique newspaper collections from Africa and France through microfilming, strengthening the resilience of these collections and supporting continued scholarly access.
Building the Future Together
The inaugural year of the Global Collections Committees demonstrates the power of collaborative stewardship. By bringing together expertise from across the CRL membership, the committees identified shared priorities, pooled resources, and made strategic investments that benefit the entire research community.
As the GCC Program enters its second year, the committees will continue to advance collaborative collection development, preservation, and digital access initiatives that strengthen the global scholarly record and expand equitable access to unique research resources.
Interested in participating? CRL welcomes additional member volunteers for the Global Collections Committees and looks forward to another year of collaborative work in support of global scholarship.