Council of Planning Librarians

Council of Planning Librarians
Name	Council of Planning Librarians
Abbreviation	CPL
Formation	1965
Type	Professional association
Headquarters	United States
Region served	International
Membership	Academic, municipal, and special libraries

Contents

Council of Planning Librarians

The Council of Planning Librarians is a professional association that connects librarians, information specialists, and planners across North America and internationally. It serves as a forum for exchange among members from institutions such as the Library of Congress, National Archives and Records Administration, Harvard University, University of California, Berkeley, and municipal bodies including the New York Public Library and the Chicago Public Library. The Council interfaces with organizations like the American Library Association, Association of College and Research Libraries, Urban Land Institute, American Planning Association, and the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions.

History

Founded in 1965 amid postwar urban expansion and the rise of planning scholarship at institutions such as Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Columbia University, University of Pennsylvania, and University of Chicago, the Council emerged alongside professional developments exemplified by the National Housing Act era and the work of planners connected to the Federal Highway Administration and the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development. Early involvement included librarians affiliated with the Brookings Institution, the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy, and municipal planning commissions from cities like Los Angeles, Detroit, and Philadelphia. The Council's archival records document collaborations with research centers such as the Rand Corporation, the Urban Institute, and the Center for Neighborhood Technology, reflecting trends traced by scholars such as those at Princeton University and Yale University.

The Council promotes access to planning information for practitioners from agencies like the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, scholars at Stanford University and University of Michigan, and community groups including chapters of the American Institute of Architects and neighborhood organizations modeled after Community Development Corporations. Activities include developing bibliographic standards influenced by bodies such as the Library of Congress Subject Headings program, coordinating interlibrary lending among institutions like Columbia University Libraries and University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, and facilitating data-sharing initiatives comparable to projects at the Brookings Institution and the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy. The Council advocates for archival preservation practices compatible with guidelines from the Society of American Archivists and technological interoperability standards promoted by the Open Archives Initiative and the International Organization for Standardization.

The Council issues bibliographies, directories, and guides used by staff at the U.S. Census Bureau, the Bureau of Labor Statistics, and planning schools at Rutgers University and University of Toronto. Notable resources include annotated bibliographies referencing work from authors associated with the Urban Studies Journal, the Journal of the American Planning Association, and series published by the Routledge and University of Chicago Press. The Council’s resource lists integrate datasets from the National Historic Preservation Act inventories, geospatial datasets akin to those maintained by the United States Geological Survey, and model documents used by agencies such as the Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Transportation. It has produced directories of special collections comparable to holdings at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture and the Arthur and Elizabeth Schlesinger Library.

The Council is governed by an executive board with officers drawn from institutions like the New York University, University of Pennsylvania Libraries, University of Texas at Austin, and public agencies such as the Boston Planning & Development Agency. Committees mirror structures found in associations like the American Planning Association and the Association of Research Libraries and address topics ranging from cataloging practices to digital preservation in line with standards promulgated by the National Information Standards Organization. Election procedures and bylaws are modeled on governance practices used by the Special Libraries Association and professional societies including the American Geographical Society.

Membership comprises librarians and information professionals from academic centers such as the London School of Economics, the University of Melbourne, and the University of British Columbia, municipal planning libraries in San Francisco, Seattle, and Minneapolis, and corporate or nonprofit research libraries affiliated with the Brookings Institution and Lincoln Institute of Land Policy. Partnerships extend to advocacy and educational organizations including the National Trust for Historic Preservation, the International City/County Management Association, and funders like the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and the MacArthur Foundation. Collaborative projects have involved data-sharing with the Census Bureau and metadata alignment with the Digital Public Library of America.

The Council organizes annual meetings and symposia co-located with conferences such as the American Planning Association National Planning Conference, the Urban Affairs Association Conference, and sessions at the American Library Association Annual Conference. Programs feature speakers from institutions like MIT Center for Real Estate, Harvard Graduate School of Design, and the Brookings Institution and include panels on topics addressed by journals such as the Journal of Planning Education and Research and the Planning Theory & Practice. Workshops have partnered with technology providers and standards organizations including the Open Geospatial Consortium and the International Council on Archives to offer training in metadata, GIS, and digital preservation.

Category:Library associations Category:Urban planning organizations Category:Professional associations established in 1965