Ed. Note: Cliff Lynch was a hero and teacher (via his writing) of mine for many years first encountering his work during library school. A number of years later I was very fortunate (blessed is a better word) when he became a role model, a mentor, and most importantly, a friend. May his memory be a blessing.
— Gary
It is with profound sadness that we announce the passing of Clifford Lynch, a visionary leader in the field of networked information and libraries, and the esteemed executive director of the Coalition for Networked Information (CNI), an organization dedicated to advancing scholarship and education through the strategic use of information technology. Lynch, who led CNI since 1997, has left an indelible mark on the information technology, higher education, and library communities. He was due to retire in June 2025.
Lynch was a renowned figure, lauded for his broad impact across many areas, including scholarly communication, information policy, the research enterprise, intellectual property, digital preservation, data stewardship, and countless others. His annual survey of the field, presented at CNI’s Fall Membership Meetings, was highly anticipated and considered a beacon for insights into future trends. He was a prolific writer and a sought-after speaker, recognized for his ability to distill complex concepts into accessible insights, and he was frequently invited to provide closing summations at conferences and meetings.
Known for his kindness, warmth, and humble disposition, Lynch was highly skilled at fostering connections across organizations, sectors, and professions. In their foreword for a forthcoming Festschrift in Lynch’s honor, Association of Research Libraries (ARL) Executive Director Andrew K. Pace and EDUCAUSE President and Chief Executive Officer John O’Brien wrote, “It’s rare in higher education and technology circles to establish a legacy that is felt by your organization, by your profession, by numerous associations and societies, and by hundreds if not thousands of colleagues across the globe. It’s even rarer to build such a legacy without a single trace of the hubris or caustic personality that so often accompanies genius. Clifford’s humility, gentle but persistent persuasion, and remarkable good nature are the key elements of his indelible mark.”
Before joining CNI, Lynch spent eighteen years at the University of California (UC) Office of the President, including ten years as director of library automation where he played a pivotal role in developing MELVYL, the UC system’s first online union catalog. During this time, he also began teaching, along with colleague Michael Buckland, the celebrated “Friday Seminar” at the UC Berkeley’s School of Information, which continued for over thirty years and was in its final semester at the time of his death.
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There are no plans for a public memorial service at this time; it was Lynch’s wish that memorial tributes and expressions of sympathy be made in the form of support for library technology, archiving, or preservation projects, such as the Internet Archive, EveryLibrary, or other similar organizations.
Gary Price (gprice@gmail.com) is a librarian, writer, consultant, and frequent conference speaker based in the Washington D.C. metro area.
He earned his MLIS degree from Wayne State University in Detroit.
Price has won several awards including the SLA Innovations in Technology Award and Alumnus of the Year from the Wayne St. University Library and Information Science Program. From 2006-2009 he was Director of Online Information Services at Ask.com.
