Strategic Focus Areas
CARL’s work is centered on five strategic focus areas that reflect the priorities of Canada’s research libraries: Advancing Research, Advancing Teaching and Learning, Strengthening Capacity, Measuring Impact, and Influencing Policy. Through these areas, CARL supports national initiatives that enhance research support services, improve teaching and learning environments, build leadership and workforce capacity, assess and demonstrate the impact of research libraries, and engage in advocacy to influence policy at the national level. Each focus area is supported by a dedicated strategic committee of directors and other leads from CARL member institutions who help guide and advance this work.
Advancing Research
CARL supports the critical enabling role of libraries in research and scholarship by leading, developing, and deploying research data management initiatives, fostering new knowledge creation and sustainable scholarly communication, including open access, and encouraging the role of the library in…
Advancing Teaching and Learning
CARL's key priorities in advancing teaching and learning encompass Open Education—highlighted by the development of a National Strategy for Open Educational Resources and the establishment of an Open Education Community of Practice—as well as initiatives to promote Digital Literacy across…
Strengthening Capacity
CARL’s key priorities in capacity building focus on advancing Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) through its dedicated working group and Community of Practice, along with human resource management initiatives. CARL also offers a range of workshops, training programs, and a research…
Measuring Impact
CARL’s key priorities in measuring impact focus on supporting assessment efforts that showcase the essential role of research libraries in higher education and research. This includes developing new metrics to demonstrate library value, collaborating on campus-wide assessments, and promoting evidence-based…
Influencing Policy
CARL’s key priorities in influencing policy center on advocating for the interests of research libraries in Canada. Focus areas include accessibility, copyright, privacy, open government, documentary heritage, and the recognition and protection of traditional knowledge, ensuring that policies support equitable…
Communities of Practice
Communities of Practice (CoPs) bring together professionals from Canada’s research libraries to collaborate, share expertise, and tackle shared challenges in key areas like open access, scholarly publishing, and equity, diversity, and inclusion. These member-led groups foster innovation and strengthen the research library community through active knowledge exchange. Supported by CARL, each CoP is guided by a volunteer leadership group that helps ensure coordination, continuity, and engagement across the network.