About The Alliance

The Colorado Alliance of Research Libraries, commonly referred to as "The Alliance," is a consortium of sixteen libraries located in Colorado and Wyoming. Founded in 1974 to consider ways of sharing resources, the consortium continues working toward that objective. The driving force is cooperation and the sharing of purchasing power, materials, and ideas.

Member-Driven Services

The Alliance helps member libraries work together to stay ahead in the rapidly changing world of libraries and information management.

Membership is not limited to Colorado or to academic institutions. Many Alliance services extend beyond the formal membership and are available to any library in the Rocky Mountain region or even across the U.S.

The regional nature of the consortium makes the Alliance large enough for a diversity of perspectives and nimble enough to meet changing needs with practical, achievable solutions developed by groups of committed libraries.

Working Together

Individual libraries can multiply their influence by working collaboratively with their peers. By negotiating on behalf of groups of libraries, the Alliance influences publishers, vendors, and software providers to provide lower costs and better functionality.

Software and Infrastructure Solutions

At the core of many of the Alliance's services are software products designed, enhanced, or maintained by the Alliance. We offer hosting for open-source software on locally managed infrastructure so our members can focus on content and services to their customers.

Staying Current

The Alliance offers conferences, vendor presentations, and round tables to help members stay current with developing trends. Examples of past programs include:

• Copyright and fair use
• Discovery interfaces
• Digital preservation and data curation
• Library assessments and metrics
• Presentations and workshops from vendors such as Credo Literati, ArtStor, BiblioBoard, and Springer.