Foster new approaches to the management of digital and nondigital information resources so that they will be available in the future.

A range of decisions and actions—from metadata creation to preservation—are needed to keep an information resource available for use. Working with creators, distributors, librarians, archivists, and users of information resources in all formats and media, CLIR seeks to identify barriers to keeping information accessible over time, and to forge workable strategies for its stewardship. Much of this work is described in Current Activities. Relevant publications are listed under Strategies and Tools for the Digital Library, Optimizing Collections and Services, and Tools for Practitioners.

Expand leadership capacity in the information professions.

Information professionals require new combinations of skills and expertise to work effectively in an environment characterized by rapidly evolving technologies, new forms of scholarly communication, and increasingly diverse demands of information seekers. In partnership with other institutions, CLIR has developed training institutes, such as the Frye Leadership Institute, and a range of fellowship programs and intern experiences, described under Awards, to build a new cadre of information professionals. Relevant publications are listed under Building Leadership in the Information Professions.

Analyze changes in the information landscape and help practitioners prepare for them.

Technology has revolutionized how we find, acquire, create, store, and share information. This has profound implications for how we plan and budget for library buildings and services, who is responsible for keeping information and how it will be kept, publishing models, and, increasingly, access rights. CLIR works with leaders in the academic, library, technology, publishing, and legal professions in the United States and abroad to understand these emerging trends. Relevant publications are listed under Managing Economic Challenges and Perspectives on the Evolving Library. Summaries of relevant meetings and symposia, such as CLIR’s 2004 Sponsors’ Symposium, Libraries and Learning, are available in Meetings and Forums.