Our Purpose
CARL provides leadership on behalf of Canada’s research libraries and fosters local, national, and international collaboration to enhance the library’s role in research and higher education.
Our Context
CARL actively engages in a dynamic global research landscape characterized by digital culture, changing user expectations, evolving scholarly activities, technological change, and an increasing emphasis on inclusion.
Our Vision
Canada’s research libraries are leaders in transformative and inclusive library practices and are vital partners in advancing open science and innovative research.
Our Core Principles
These principles are woven into all that we do:
Leadership
- CARL supports leadership and workforce development across the broad spectrum of competencies required for success in contemporary research libraries.
- CARL shares expertise and builds coalitions with partner associations, networks, and consortia across Canada and internationally to advance our shared goals.
Inclusion
- CARL supports a diverse community of library practitioners and, indirectly, library users.
- Through its programs, CARL commits to principles of inclusion, diversity, equity and accessibility.
- Led by, and in partnership with, Indigenous communities and peoples, CARL is committed to honouring the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) in its journey to Truth, Reconciliation, and responding meaningfully to the TRC Calls to Action.
Influence
- CARL is an essential national voice for the interests of the academic community and the critical work of libraries.
- CARL represents the interests of Canadian research libraries in the federal and pan-Canadian information policy arena to achieve broad access to, and effective management, of Canada’s information assets.
- CARL strengthens and mobilizes national and international relationships and initiatives across and beyond the library and research sectors to increase Canada’s profile and advance common policy objectives.
Impact
- CARL develops strategies to demonstrate and promote the impact and the value of research libraries.
- CARL initiates, facilitates, strengthens, and communicates ongoing qualitative and quantitative library assessment on a pan-Canadian basis.
Our Three-Year Strategy
During the next three years, CARL will focus on the complementary priorities of Advancing Scholarship and Enhancing Access.
Advancing Scholarship
Canada’s research libraries play pivotal roles in the creation, discovery, and management of the scholarship produced at our universities and cultural institutions. CARL drives the collaborative deployment of technologies and standards to strengthen the role of libraries in the expansion of open science and scholarship and in knowledge curation, dissemination and mobilization.
Enhancing Access
Canada’s research libraries enable access to local and global information resources for researchers, learners, and communities. CARL accelerates research library collaboration to expand the diversity of collections, descriptions, and the library workforce; to optimize accessibility; and to ensure preservation in an evolving digital environment.
Areas of Focus
To support these priorities, CARL will engage in exploration and initiatives under its five strategic committees with particular attention to:
Areas of Work
To support these priorities, CARL will engage in areas of active investigation such as:
- Collaborating to expand open science in Canada and advancing national shared infrastructures and services;
- Fostering the understanding and integration of generative artificial intelligence into support for research, teaching and learning and into library practices;
- Advocating for public policy that supports and protects educational, research, and creative activities;
- Increasing attention to sustainability issues impacting research libraries;
- Developing and participating in national initiatives that promote equity, diversity, inclusion, and reconciliation;
- Improving programs and tools to better support documenting impact;
- Strengthening libraries’ engagement in the research data management and research information ecosystems;
- Spearheading digital preservation at scale while continuing to support shared print initiatives;
- Building leadership succession capacity.
