CARL's Strategic Plan: 2010-2012 guides the activity of the Association in the areas of scholarly communication, public policy and research library development.

1. Transform Scholarly Communication

Research libraries ensure for researchers convenient and permanent access to scholarly resources through the management of already-available information and the promotion of effective and sustainable communication of new information. To achieve this, CARL will play a leading role in the transformation of scholarly communication in Canada through a number of projects.

1.1 Data Management

CARL will work with other organizations to promote the development of a data management infrastructure for e-research in Canada and devise a plan for the building of appropriate skills in Canadian libraries for data management.

1.2 Open Access Publication

CARL will encourage the archiving of articles in digital repositories by researchers, promoting the adoption of open access mandates at universities and the national funding councils. It will investigate and promote sustainable business models for other kinds of open access scholarly publishing.

1.3 Digitization

CARL will investigate the opportunities and issues for Canadian researchers and libraries around emerging mass digitization initiatives. It will identify priorities for digitization among Canadian research libraries.

1.4 Research Collections

CARL will work with other organizations to develop a plan for the long-term preservation of Canada’s collective research resources in print format.

2. Influence Public Policy

Research libraries can best support researchers in a public policy environment that facilitates the generation, sharing, and management of scholarly information through supportive laws, infrastructure, and institutions. To achieve this, CARL will work to influence federal-level public policy in Canada on various themes.

2.1 Copyright

CARL will advocate for copyright legislation that is fair to users and workable for libraries. It will make known to decision-makers the needs of research libraries in the context of copyright-related agreements that may affect libraries or their users. It will work to increase awareness in research libraries of relevant copyright issues.

2.2 Research Funding

CARL will monitor federal research policy, encouraging funding for research, which should address both direct and indirect costs.

2.3 The Internet

CARL will promote broadband network development in Canada and seek an Internet regime that respects user privacy and ensures fair traffic management practices.

2.4 National Libraries

CARL will work to ensure that necessary services provided by Canada’s national libraries are maintained even in a difficult funding environment.

3. Advance the Research Library

Research libraries, in order to support effectively research and education as these evolve, must build an appropriately-skilled and well-informed professional staff and demonstrate clearly their value and potential contributions to researchers and administrators. CARL will work to advance the ability of its member libraries to fulfill their individual missions in several ways.

3.1 University Research and Education

CARL will develop resources and programming to help member libraries increase local awareness of their role in university research and education. It will study national-level concerns in university education and identify potential contributions of research libraries.

3.2 Return on Investment

CARL will consider ways by which Canadian research libraries can demonstrate return on investment by their parent institutions and improve library service to researchers and students.

3.3 Human Resources

CARL will work with other organizations in Canada to develop the human resources that will be needed by libraries in the years to come, with a focus in CARL on leadership development for academic libraries. It will work to develop research skills in research libraries and to promote evidence-based librarianship.

3.4 The Learning Library

CARL will provide various means by which Canada’s research libraries can share their best practices with each other and learn of the issues and developments in other settings that may have importance for member libraries or the Association.

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