Center for Research Libraries

The Center for Research Libraries (CRL) is an international consortium of university, college, and independent research libraries.

Founded in 1949, the Center for Research Libraries has proven to be a successful and enduring model for cooperative collection development and community building among the research library community. From its original founding in 1949 by ten member libraries in the Midwestern United States, today CRL represents an international consortium of university, college, and independent research libraries collectively building, stewarding, and sharing a wealth of resource materials from all world regions to support inspired research and teaching. Members range from private universities including Harvard and Stanford, state universities including the University of Michigan and North Carolina State, and four-year liberal arts colleges including Oberlin and Macalester College. CRL members in the Chicago-area include founding members University of Chicago and Northwestern University, as well as the University of Illinois - Chicago, the Newberry Library, and Northern Illinois State University.

CRL is dedicated to advancing the values and first principles of academic librarianship, including the defense of intellectual freedom, celebration of diversity, advocacy of responsible stewardship, and promotion of social responsibility and the social good.