CRL is pleased to announce the following leadership for the new NERL Steering Committee and the NERL Program Council. The NERL community came together in 2022 to finalize its operational and governance structure as a cooperative program under the CRL organizational umbrella. Charges for the NERL Steering Committee and Program Council were developed by the NERL community and approved by the CRL Board in July 2023. The CRL Nominating Committee issued an open call this summer to secure initial leadership appointments to establish the NERL Steering Committee. 

The CRL Nominating Committee is pleased to announce the following appointments to the inaugural NERL Steering Committee: 

• Ashley Jester, Associate University Librarian for Research and Learning at Boston University, as chair, and 
• Kevin Garewal, Vice Provost & Andrew H. and Janet Dayton Neilly Dean of the University of Rochester Libraries, as vice chair.  

The NERL Program Council elected Julie Linden, Director of Collection Development at Yale University, as chair, and Virginia Martin, Head of Electronic Resources and Serials Acquisitions at Duke University, as vice chair to work collaboratively with the NERL Steering committee on supporting and advancing NERL's pursuit of changing the scholarly landscape.  

“When the board and committee see themselves as partners in building strategy, trust is built,” shared Lanette Garza, CRL Director of Licensing and Acquisitions.  “I am confident in this governance structure to fully engage our many strong leaders. I am thrilled to be working directly with Ashley and Kevin, as well as more closely with Julie and Virginia, who have already played an important role in NERL’s clear commitment to equitable and sustainable licensing.”   

The NERL Steering Committee provides strategic direction and oversight for the NERL program and supports the overall negotiation process at an executive level. The NERL Steering Committee members include two senior leaders (dean, associate dean, AUL, or equivalent) selected from among the core 30 NERL member libraries, the chair of the NERL Program Council, the CRL Director of Licensing and Acquisitions, and the CRL President. Read the full NERL Steering Committee charge here.  

The NERL Program Council (PC) works with the NERL Steering Committee and staff to sustain NERL’s core shared purchasing decisions to develop new and innovative priorities to further support and advance NERL’s pursuit of transforming the scholarly landscape.  The NERL Program Council consists of thirty members, with one representative appointed by each of the thirty core NERL member libraries, and led by a chair and vice chair elected by the PC membership. Read the full NERL Program Council charge here. 

 

About the NERL Consortium  

The NERL Consortium consists of a core group of 30 of the most research-intensive institutions in North America. It is a national leader in negotiated licensing whose mission is to serve as an advocate for the collective power and influence of libraries and their parent institutions. NERL is based at the Center for Research Libraries (CRL) in Chicago.