For immediate release:
October 27, 2009

For more information, contact:
Sarah Segura
Association of Research Libraries
202-296-2296
sarah@arl.org

University of Calgary Becomes Newest Member of ARL

Washington DC--At its 2009 Fall Membership Meeting held October 14-15, 2009, in Washington DC, the membership of the Association of Research Libraries (ARL) voted to invite the Libraries and Cultural Resources of the University of Calgary to join as the 124th member. Located in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, the university is a member of the Canadian research-intensive “G-13” institutions based on sponsored research and number of PhDs. H. Thomas Hickerson, Vice Provost (Libraries and Cultural Resources) and University Librarian, accepted the invitation.

“Membership has been an important goal for our institution because it brings recognition to the collections and services we offer to the broader North American research community,” said Tom Hickerson. “We are delighted to join with our research library colleagues in addressing issues of common concern.”

Libraries and Cultural Resources (LCR) brings together the University Library, Archives and Special Collections, the Nickle Arts Museum, and the University of Calgary Press. The membership vote followed a multi-year review process of the LCR that considered both qualitative and quantitative documentation and site visits. The reviews included an examination of the breadth and depth of collections, uniqueness of research resources, services to the library’s community, potential contributions to scholarship, and leadership in the library and information science profession.

"The Association of Research Libraries welcomes the University of Calgary Libraries and Cultural Resources as our newest member and looks forward to working with them on addressing the many significant issues currently facing the research library community," said Brinley Franklin, ARL President. Charles B. Lowry, Executive Director of ARL, added, "ARL is delighted the University of Calgary accepted our invitation to become a member of our association. The unique strengths that Libraries and Cultural Resources (LCR) brings together benefits not only the University of Calgary itself, but the students, the faculty, and their scholarly colleagues and researchers throughout North America."

The University of Calgary, located in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, is a comprehensive research university, ranked one of Canada’s top research universities, combining the best of long-established university traditions with the city of Calgary’s vibrant energy and diversity. Libraries and Cultural Resources combines the expertise and services of many of the University’s information providers to assure provision of full access to the best information in a variety of formats and media. LCR's goal is to develop quality collections, quality programs, quality publications and innovative services that align with the teaching, learning, and research missions of the University of Calgary. More information about the University of Calgary Libraries and Cultural Resources can be found at http://lcr.ucalgary.ca/.

The Association of Research Libraries (ARL) is a nonprofit organization of 124 research libraries in North America. Its mission is to influence the changing environment of scholarly communication and the public policies that affect research libraries and the diverse communities they serve. ARL pursues this mission by advancing the goals of its member research libraries, providing leadership in public and information policy to the scholarly and higher education communities, fostering the exchange of ideas and expertise, facilitating the emergence of new roles for research libraries, and shaping a future environment that leverages its interests with those of allied organizations. ARL is on the Web at http://www.arl.org/.