UC Berkeley Library

CIFNAL, the Collaborative Initiative for French Language Collections, promotes and facilitates the cooperative exchange of ideas and resources between Francophone and North American research libraries. Founded in 2006 with just a few institutions, CIFNAL is the youngest of the expertise groups within the Global Resource Network administered through the Center for Research Libraries (CRL). With a shoestring budget and essentially a volunteer work force, CIFNAL has succeeded where individual libraries or other regional consortia have faltered because of two constants: dedicated librarians and unwavering centralized support of CRL. This presentation provides a short history of the group’s activities over the past decade, highlighting its contributions to digital scholarship, building regional and international alliances, and cultivating relations with information professionals from and outside of the United States. A careful assessment of CIFNAL’s projects, working groups, and publications provides insight as to what might be in store for the future.