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The Council on Library and Information Resources (CLIR) is an independent, nonprofit organization that works with libraries, cultural institutions and higher education on collaborative approaches to research, teaching and learning. It is based in Alexandria, Virginia, and is the parent organization of the Digital Library Federation (DLF). For the wider field it serves, see our guide to library science.
What CLIR Is
CLIR describes itself as an independent, nonprofit organization, and states that it “aspires to transform the information landscape to support the advancement of knowledge.” It is a convener and program sponsor rather than an accrediting body or a membership trade association. Its stated commitments include building trust, retaining independence, fostering collaboration, cultivating effective leadership and capitalizing on strategic opportunities.
CLIR was formed in 1997 through the merger of two earlier organizations, the Council on Library Resources and the Commission on Preservation and Access.
What Programs Does CLIR Run?
CLIR’s website lists these programs and initiatives:
- Digital Library Federation (DLF): a community of practitioners and member institutions, described in the next section.
- Digitizing Hidden Special Collections and Archives and Recordings at Risk: grant programs for making collections accessible.
- Digital Library of the Middle East, Mellon Fellowships for Dissertation Research and the Leading Change Institute.
- Postdoctoral Fellowship Program: covered below.
- Publications: reports, the CLIR Issues newsletter, the Pocket Burgundies series, blogs and the Material Memory podcast.
What Is the Relationship Between CLIR and the Digital Library Federation?
DLF describes itself as serving its parent organization, CLIR, and the two partner on shared initiatives such as the Digitizing Hidden Special Collections grants and the postdoctoral fellowships in data curation. DLF’s funding comes from membership dues and grants. Individuals can take part in its working groups and events regardless of institutional affiliation. Its annual DLF Forum is its signature event, and year-round working groups cover topics such as assessment, digital library pedagogy and project management. Since January 2016, DLF has also been the institutional home of the National Digital Stewardship Alliance.
What Is the CLIR Postdoctoral Fellowship Program?
The program offered fellowships to recent Ph.D. graduates between 2004 and 2024. According to CLIR, it supported 221 alumni across 18 fellowship cohorts, placed at 93 unique host organizations, with fellows drawn from more than 50 distinct academic disciplines. The program no longer creates new fellowships.
Its fellowships were centered on data and software curation. The earliest fellows worked in data curation for the sciences and social sciences with support from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, and a later cohort focused on data curation for Latin American and Caribbean studies. CLIR says the fellows’ careers have helped inform its programming, and points to its 2023 publication Profiles in Data and Software Curation, which gives career histories of 11 former fellows. The fellowship’s emphasis on applying doctoral research skills to information work connects to the broader practice of information science.
Where Does CLIR Fit Among Library Organizations?
CLIR’s work centers on research and cultural-heritage libraries, archives and higher education. Readers looking at other resources used by academic libraries, such as book-review sources, can see our guide to Choice Reviews.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Council on Library and Information Resources (CLIR)?
CLIR is an independent, nonprofit organization formed in 1997 through the merger of the Council on Library Resources and the Commission on Preservation and Access. It is based in Alexandria, Virginia, and works with libraries, cultural organizations and higher education on collaborative solutions.
Who was eligible for the CLIR Postdoctoral Fellowship?
The fellowship was offered to recent Ph.D. graduates, from more than 50 distinct academic disciplines across its history. CLIR’s program page states that it no longer creates new fellowships, so check CLIR for any successor opportunities.
What tracks did the CLIR Fellowship offer?
The program centered on data and software curation, including data curation for the sciences and social sciences, and data curation for Latin American and Caribbean studies.
How is CLIR related to the Digital Library Federation (DLF)?
DLF serves CLIR as its parent organization. It has its own member institutions, working groups and annual DLF Forum, and is funded by membership dues and grants.
Sources
All sources checked November 7, 2026.
- Council on Library and Information Resources. “About CLIR.” https://www.clir.org/about/
- Council on Library and Information Resources. “CLIR Postdoctoral Fellowship Program.” https://postdoc.clir.org/
- Digital Library Federation. “About DLF.” https://www.diglib.org/about/
- Library of Congress. “Council on Library and Information Resources records, 1937-2001” (finding aid, merger in 1997). https://findingaids.loc.gov/db/search/xq/searchMferDsc04.xq
