Library Technology Guides

CRL Announces Leadership Restructuring to Advance Member Priorities. The Center for Research Libraries announced a new leadership structure with Andrea Duntz promoted to Chief Operating Officer (COO) and mission activities reorganized into two new Directorates under Amy Wood and Lanette Garza. In tandem with this, CRL is launching recruitment for a data analyst and cataloging program officer. [Full Announcement].

CRL pilots AI to accelerate metadata production. Center for Research Libraries announced promising pilot results from an AI-supported metadata generation workflow that significantly reduces processing time for serials. Developed in-house by CRL's cross-functional team, the new approach supports discovery and circulation by producing item-level metadata up to 60 times faster than traditional methods — directly benefiting CRL members by enabling faster, broader access to critical research materials. [Full Announcement].

CRL's partnership with Coherent Digital drives widespread adoption of key digital resources. The Center for Research Libraries and Coherent Digital today announced the success of a collaborative effort that has resulted in over 40 academic and research institutions acquiring one or more digital collections from Coherent Digital and realizing significant savings. The promotion, launched in May this year, was designed to make high-value digital collections more accessible to libraries through coordinated outreach, special pricing, and trial access. The partnership reflects CRL's mission to support advanced research and teaching in the humanities, sciences, and social sciences, and Coherent Digital's commitment to preserving difficult-to-access content and making it discoverable and usable. [Full Announcement].

CRL launches initiative to create a new model for cooperative cataloging. The Center for Research Libraries 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 traditional one-to-one matches, with the goal of fostering more efficient and scalable collaboration across institutions. [Full Announcement].

CRL Mission & Vision Statement. The Center for Research Libraries is pleased to announce its new Mission and Vision statement, one of the results of a comprehensive review of CRL's institutional goals and governance. [Full Announcement].

Center for Research Libraries welcomes new president Jacob Nadal. The Center for Research Libraries announce that Jacob Nadal, currently the Director for Preservation at the Library of Congress, will succeed Greg Eow as CRL President, effective November 18, 2024. Nadal is a nationally recognized expert on preservation who has served in leadership roles at a variety of independent, academic, and government organizations. He brings to CRL expertise in collections management on the largest scales, and deep knowledge of shared print initiatives and digital preservation, including extensive experience with digitization programs with global reach such as Google Books. [Full Announcement].

CRL welcomes newest member: Saint Louis University. The Center for Research Libraries and Saint Louis University Libraries announced that SLU has joined CRL as its newest full-voting member. [Full Announcement].

President, Center for Research Libraries. CRL, the Center for Research Libraries, seeks a visionary and collaborative professional to be its next president. This is an opportunity to lead and grow one of the most visible and important organizations in the library field, at a consequential time for the profession. Reporting to the Board of Directors, the next president will develop and advance a strategic and sustainable vision for the organization. The President will ensure that CRL serves as a trusted and valuable source of materials, services, community facilitation, and thought leadership for the library field, at a moment rife with technological disruption, societal change, and financial pressure. [Full Announcement].

CRL president search committee appointed. The CRL Board of Directors announced the appointments to the CRL President Search Committee. The CRL Executive Committee received an outstanding expression of interest from member directors in response to their open solicitation for search committee members. The Executive Committee carefully reviewed and appointed search committee members that represent many of the various organizational types and perspectives among CRL membership. [Full Announcement].

Johns Hopkins joins Center for Research Libraries. The Center for Research Libraries and Johns Hopkins Libraries are pleased to announce that Johns Hopkins University recently became a full-voting member of the Center for Research Libraries, a partnership of more than 200 university, college, and independent research libraries. [Full Announcement].

CRL Implements New Library Service Platform and Catalog. CRL is pleased to announce that it is implementing FOLIO as its new library services platform. FOLIO is a community driven, open-source platform that supports traditional library operations and positions us for greater community collaboration around knowledge management. CRL chose FOLIO because it is tightly aligned with CRL's core values of open infrastructure and responsible operations. Joining the FOLIO community creates opportunities for CRL to better serve its members and partners through active engagement in future library initiatives that build a better knowledge infrastructure. [Full Announcement].

Thomas Padilla Named Director of Information Systems and Technology Strategy at the Center for Research Libraries. The Center for Research Libraries announced that Thomas Padilla, currently Interim Head of Knowledge Production at the University of Nevada Las Vega has been named the new Director of Information Systems and Technology Strategy at the Center for Research Libraries. At CRL, Padilla will lead CRL's overall technology strategy and guide the work of CRL's Metadata and Discovery Enhancement and Information Systems departments. He will work with the CRL community to build, steward, and disseminate research collections in line with CRL's organizational values of diversity, inclusivity, and equity. [Full Announcement].