About Digital Library for International Research

Building on the established libraries and research collections of its twenty-three constituent centers, the Council of American Overseas Research Centers (CAORC) in 1999 launched the American Overseas Digital Library (AODL). The AODL is as a cost-effective, efficient, centralized, Internet-based mechanism for the standardization and electronic delivery of important bibliographic and full-text primary and secondary source information from all CAORC member centers, covering both print collections and research collections in other media. The initial resources for the AODL program were located in overseas centers in Europe, the Near and Middle East, South and Southeast Asia, and West Africa. The program now includes bibliographic materials from Inner Asia and the New World, as well as from other collections in countries that host centers. To reflect this new level of participation and coverage, in November 2004 the program's name was changed to Digital Library for International Research (DLIR).

The keystone of the Digital Library for International Research, and the first of its goals to be completed, is the on-line public access catalog containing the records of all the holdings in all participating libraries. From 1999 until 2008 the DLIR's Online Catalog, was maintained at the University of Utah's Marriott Library. In 2008 it was migrated to the Center for Research Libraries, in cooperation with CRL's Global Resources Network. DLIR's catalog continues to grow rapidly as new materials are acquired and cataloged. Additional components of the DLIR program are brought online as they are completed. Please see the e-Resources page for a current list of online research resources.

 

Program Sponsors

Council of American Overseas Research Centers
The Council of American Overseas Research Centers (CAORC) is a 501(c)3 not-for-profit consortium of American Overseas Research Centers that themselves are consortia of U.S. universities, colleges, museums, and research institutes. CAORC's twenty-three member centers in Europe, the Near and Middle East, South and Southeast Asia, West Africa, and the New World maintain a permanent international presence in the host countries where they operate and are the primary vehicle through which American scholars carry out research vital to our understanding of and interaction with other cultures. Some centers have existed for over a century while others were founded in the decades following World War II in response to American scholarly needs and host country invitations. Member centers promote humanistic research, primarily through sponsorship of fellowship programs, foreign language study, and collaborative research projects. They facilitate access to research resources, provide a forum for contact and exchange, offer library and technical support and accommodation, and disseminate information to the scholarly and general public by means of conferences, seminars, exhibitions, and publications.

American Institute for Yemeni Studies
The American Institute for Yemeni Studies (AIYS) is a 501(c)3 consortium of U.S. institutions of higher education, museums, and research institutes dedicated to educational and cultural exchange between the U.S. and Yemen. Acting in cooperation with CAORC and the Center for Research Libaries, AIYS was the primary sponsor of the initial phases of the DLIR program. AIYS Executive Director, Dr. Maria deJ. Ellis is DLIR's Project Director.