Council of Australasian University Librarians

What Council of Australasian University Librarians does

The Council of Australasian University Librarians (CAUL) is a not-for-profit incorporated association and registered charity that serves as the peak collegiate body for university library leaders across Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand. CAUL operates four core sector-level services for its 47 member institutions: an Analytics Service providing benchmarking statistics and sector surveys; a Content Procurement Service operating the CAUL Consortium, which negotiates sector-wide agreements with publishers and reportedly enabled $500 million in cost avoidance through Open Access agreements covering 100,000 articles; an Open Educational Resources (OER) Collective built on a Pressbooks publishing platform with associated grant funding; and a Professional Learning Service that delivers webinars, workshops, communities of practice, and the CAUDIT Leadership Institute. The organization also operates the ULANZ Borrowing Scheme, enabling staff and students at participating universities to borrow across institutional libraries, and runs strategic programs on Open Access, OER, and From Decolonisation to Indigenisation.

CAUL's business model is a recurring subscription structure funded primarily by annual membership fees from Council Members, consortium participation levies (open to non-Council entities such as government agencies), ALACC levies, and event fees. Specific fee amounts are not publicly disclosed. The organization is governed by a seven-member Board of Directors (four elected from members, three appointed for professional skills) and is operated by a distributed virtual office of approximately nine staff based across Queensland, Victoria, and South Australia, with a registered address at ALIA House in Deakin (Canberra), ACT. CAUL convenes ten Communities of Practice (including AI in Academic Libraries, Collections Analysis, Open Access Agreements Management, and User Experience), co-convenes the Australian Open Science Network, and holds memberships in international bodies such as IARLA, SPARC, ICOLC, and COUNTER to support advocacy on copyright, open access, and library sector policy. In 2024-2025 CAUL extended membership eligibility to all Australasian and Oceania universities and rebranded from Council of Australian University Librarians to Council of Australasian University Librarians, with New Zealand institutions becoming full constitutional Members for the first time.

Name

Council of Australasian University Librarians

Legal name

Council of Australasian University Librarians

Website

https://caul.edu.au

Company type

Private

Founded year

1928

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

CAUL is a not-for-profit incorporated association and registered charity that serves as the peak body for university library leaders across Australia and New Zealand, delivering four core sector services — analytics, content procurement via the CAUL Consortium, an OER Collective on Pressbooks, and professional learning — to 47 member universities.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Canberra

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Fees: CAUL generates revenue through annual membership fees from university librarians at member institutions. Council Members pay annual membership fees, consortium levies, ALACC levies, and event fees.
2. Consortium Participation Levies: Approximately half of sector-wide university expenditure on scholarly content is procured through the CAUL Consortium. Participation in the OER Collective service attracts a participation levy. Non-Council entities may also participate in the Consortium.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

CAUL is a not-for-profit membership association that delivers sector-level shared services to university libraries across Australasia. Its core offerings include the CAUL Consortium (sector-wide negotiation of scholarly content agreements), an Analytics Service (benchmarking statistics and survey data), an Open Educational Resources (OER) Collective (open textbook publishing via Pressbooks), and a Professional Learning Service (webinars, workshops, and leadership development). CAUL also coordinates the ULANZ Borrowing Scheme enabling cross-institutional library access across Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand.

Product overview

CAUL operates as an association providing four core sector-level services: Analytics Service (collecting benchmarking statistics and survey data for university libraries), Content Procurement Service (operating the CAUL Consortium for negotiating scholarly content agreements), Open Educational Resources Collective (enabling open textbook publishing via Pressbooks), and Professional Learning Service (delivering professional development through webinars, workshops, and the CAUDIT Leadership Institute). CAUL also delivers strategic programs including Open Access, Open Educational Resources, and From Decolonisation to Indigenisation, along with the ULANZ Borrowing Scheme for inter-library borrowing. The organisation provides a portfolio of programs, projects, and communities of practice supporting university library leadership across Australia and New Zealand.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Analytics Service Collects, curates and provides access to university library benchmarking statistics, university population data, open access agreement analytics, and sector surveys for cross-institutional benchmarking, decision-making, and advocacy. Targeted at university library leaders and administrators at member institutions.
• Content Procurement Service Operates the CAUL Consortium to negotiate sector-wide agreements for pricing and licensing of digital scholarly content products on behalf of Australian and New Zealand university libraries. Approximately half of sector-wide university expenditure on scholarly content is procured through the CAUL Consortium. Supports open access procurement and represents the sector in publisher negotiations.
• Open Educational Resources (OER) Collective A capacity- and capability-building service enabling university libraries to start or scale up open textbook publishing. Provides a Pressbooks publishing platform, administrative infrastructure, training, community spaces, guides, and grant funding. Participation is optional for member institutions and attracts a participation levy. Over $93,000 in grants has been awarded in three years of operation.
• Professional Learning Service Provides targeted, contextualised professional development opportunities for university library staff including webinars, workshops, communities of practice, the CAUDIT Leadership Institute (delivered in partnership with CAUDIT), and recognition through the CAUL Awards. Targets staff across CAUL member institutions.
• ULANZ Borrowing Scheme A cooperative library borrowing scheme allowing staff and students of Australian and New Zealand universities to borrow in person from any of the 47 participating university libraries. Participation is open to all CAUL Member institutions. Operated in cooperation with the Council of New Zealand University Librarians (CONZUL).

Quantifiable outcome

• 100,000 articles published and $500 million saved through CAUL Consortium Open Access agreements
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

17 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Australasian Research Management Society (ARMS)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022ARMS is a member of the Australian Open Science Network, working on open science initiatives in Australia.
• Australian Research Data Commons (ARDC)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022ARDC is Co-Convenor of the Australian Open Science Network and provides administrative and secretariat support.
• Open Access Australasia (OAA)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022OAA is Co-Convenor of the Australian Open Science Network and co-initiator of the Australian Scholarly Communications Community of Practice with CAUL and Creative Commons Australia.
• National and State Libraries Australasia (NSLA)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022NSLA is a member of the Australian Open Science Network.
• CAUDITcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022CAUL partners with CAUDIT annually to offer library staff a place at the CAUDIT Leadership Institute, a leading development program for future leaders in higher education.
• OA ForwardcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCAUL is a member of OA Forward, a national and international body related to the association's core business of advancing open access to research.
• International Alliance of Research Library Associations (IARLA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCAUL is a member of IARLA, joining other academic and research library organisations in 2016. CAUL's Board Chair, Deputy Chair and CEO represent CAUL on IARLA.
• SPARCcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCAUL has paid institutional membership of SPARC (Scholarly Publishing and Academic Resources Coalition) to further advocacy and public policy outcomes.
• COUNTERcoreTechnology or IntegrationCAUL has paid institutional membership of COUNTER (Standard for counting use of digital content resources) to further advocacy and public policy outcomes.
• International Coalition of Library Consortia (ICOLC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCAUL is a member of ICOLC, an international coalition of library consortia.
• Australian Libraries and Archives Copyright Coalition (ALACC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCAUL has paid institutional membership of ALACC to further advocacy and public policy outcomes. ALACC works to improve copyright policy and advance copyright reform in Australia.
• Australian Digital Alliance (ADA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCAUL works with ADA on copyright policy and advocacy. ADA works to improve copyright policy and advance copyright reform in Australia.
• Associations ForumminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCAUL is a member of Associations Forum, which provides support and resources for associations.
• GLAM PeakcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCAUL's CEO represents CAUL on GLAM Peak, the collective voice for Galleries, Libraries, Archives and Museums.
• Australian Open Science NetworkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCAUL co-convenes the Australian Open Science Network, which provides a forum for exchange of information on open science and advocates for open science in Australia.
• Creative Commons AustraliacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCreative Commons Australia co-initiated the Australian Scholarly Communications Community of Practice with CAUL and Open Access Australasia.
• Council of New Zealand University Librarians (CONZUL)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCAUL's Members from Aotearoa New Zealand form CONZUL, a committee of Universities New Zealand (UNZ). CONZUL cooperates with CAUL on the ULANZ Borrowing Scheme.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves14 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Regional players

• Australian Library and Information Association (ALIA): ALIA is the national professional association for the Australian library and information services sector, encompassing public, school, academic, and special libraries. Comparable to CAUL as the broader Australian library peak body, but distinct in scope (all library types vs CAUL's university-only focus); CAUL is co-located with ALIA at ALIA House.
• National and State Libraries Australasia (NSLA): NSLA is the collaborative organization of the National Library of Australia, state and territory libraries of Australia, and the National Library of New Zealand. CAUL partners with NSLA on open science initiatives; comparable as a pan-Australasian library-sector collaborative but focused on national/state libraries rather than universities.
• Ontario Council of University Libraries (OCUL): OCUL is a consortium of Ontario university libraries that negotiates shared licensing, delivers consortial services, and supports resource sharing. Comparable to CAUL in function but serving a single Canadian province rather than a multi-country region.

Direct peers

• LIBER: LIBER is the Association of European Research Libraries, representing national and university libraries across Europe and coordinating on open science, research data management, and infrastructure. Comparable to CAUL as the peak continental body for academic and research libraries with advocacy and shared service roles.
• Association of Research Libraries (ARL): The Association of Research Libraries is a US-based membership association of the largest research libraries at universities and other institutions, focused on advocacy, policy influence, and shared services. Directly comparable to CAUL as a peak body advocating for and serving major research libraries.
• LYRASIS: LYRASIS is a large US-based non-profit technology and content services consortium serving academic and public libraries with shared print, digital preservation, and open access infrastructure. Comparable to CAUL as a multi-service library consortium delivering shared procurement and digital services to university members.
• JISC: JISC is the UK digital, data, and technology agency for higher education and research, operating as a consortium providing shared infrastructure, content licensing, and digital services to UK universities. It is the closest international analogue to CAUL in combining sector-level services, content procurement, and advocacy for university libraries.
• Canadian Association of Research Libraries (CARL): CARL is a Canada-wide association of major Canadian research libraries providing advocacy, shared services, and collective negotiation leverage. Comparable to CAUL as a national-level association for university research libraries focused on policy influence and shared procurement.
• COPPUL: The Council of Prairie and Pacific University Libraries is a Canadian consortium of western Canadian university libraries that negotiates shared content licensing, open access agreements, and coordinated services for its members. Directly comparable to CAUL in scale and operating model for a multi-province university library consortium.

Others

• SPARC: SPARC is an international coalition supporting open access, open data, and open education across academic libraries and institutions. CAUL is already a paid institutional member of SPARC, making it a partner; it is adjacent rather than directly competitive, focused on advocacy and policy rather than service delivery.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/council-of-australian-university-librarians

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Council of Australasian University Librarians