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CHICAGO - The Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) and the Scholarly Publishing and Academic Resources Coalition (SPARC) are presenting the free online at 2 p.m. Central on Wednesday, August 5.

Libraries are facing a period of serious financial hardship while simultaneously navigating the shift to a system for sharing scholarship that is open by default. The decisions libraries make in the coming months in response to the budgetary impact of COVID-19 will have important consequences for the future of research infrastructure.

The forum will focus on this challenge — exploring how different institutions are re-evaluating their relationships with vendors, seeking to align their spend with their values, and keeping an eye on the long-term consequences of urgent decisions that need to be made in the short term.

The 90-minute session will follow a moderated discussion format featuring the following panelists:

• Chris Bourg, Director, MIT Libraries
• Jon Cawthorne, Dean, Wayne State University Library System
• Scarlet Galvan, Collection Strategist Librarian, Grand Valley State University
• Kaitlin Thaney, Executive Director, Invest in Open Infrastructure
• Moderator: Brandon Butler, Director, Information Policy, University of Virginia Library

The ACRL/SPARC Forum is free for anyone to join, but registration is required. Submit your free registration through the .

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The Association of College & Research Libraries (ACRL) is the higher education association for academic libraries and library workers. Representing nearly 10,000 individuals and libraries, ACRL (a division of the 91´«Ã½) develops programs, products, and services to help those working in academic and research libraries learn, innovate, and lead within the academic community. Founded in 1940, ACRL is committed to advancing learning, transforming scholarship, and creating diverse and inclusive communities. Find ACRL on the , , , , and .

SPARC (the Scholarly Publishing and Academic Resources Coalition) works to enable the open sharing of research outputs and educational materials in order to democratize access to knowledge, accelerate discovery, and increase the return on our investment in research and education. Learn more at .