Big Ten Academic Alliance Renews Support for MIT Press’s Direct to Open, Driving Open Access to 80 New Monographs in 2025

The Big Ten Academic Alliance proudly announces its renewed three-year commitment to the MIT Press’s Direct to Open (D2O) program. This innovative initiative, which has successfully reached its funding goal for 2025, will open access to 80 new scholarly monographs and edited collections, further advancing the global public knowledge commons.

Big Ten Academic Alliance libraries are steadfast in their mission to expand equitable access to scholarly resources. By participating in D2O, the Alliance not only supports the opening of new academic content but also promotes sustainable, innovative publishing models. “The Libraries of the Big Ten Academic Alliance are committed to supporting the creation of open access content,” said Kate McCready, Program Director for Open Publishing. “We're thrilled that our participation in D2O contributes to the opening of this collection, as well as championing the exploration of new models for opening scholarly monographs.”

Expanding Access and Impact

The success of the D2O program is made possible through collaborative partnerships with library consortia worldwide, including the Big Ten Academic Alliance. Since its launch in 2021, D2O has established itself as a transformative approach to publishing, providing open access to entire lists of scholarly books without embargo. This approach ensures all authors—particularly those in traditionally underserved disciplines in the humanities and social sciences—have the opportunity to publish their work openly.

The renewed support of the Big Ten Academic Alliance reflects the collective commitment of its 19 member institutions to fostering academic excellence and innovation. By participating in D2O, member libraries contribute to the availability of high-quality open access resources, ensuring their global reach and impact on scholars, educators, and students.

The Big Ten Academic Alliance remains steadfast in its commitment to open access initiatives like D2O, which exemplifies the vision of expanding knowledge to benefit society and provide equitable opportunities for all disciplines, including traditionally underserved fields in the social sciences and humanities.

The Road Ahead

In 2025, D2O will open access to groundbreaking titles such as Every American an Innovator by Matthew Wisnioski and The Ecology Politic: Power, Law, and Earth in the Anthropocene by Anthony Burke and Stefanie Fishel. To date, the program has funded over 321 open access books, which have been read more than 659,000 times on the MIT Press platform.

The Big Ten Academic Alliance continues to prioritize open access initiatives that align with its mission to advance scholarship for the greater good. For more information about D2O or to explore the program’s contributions, visit MIT Press Direct to Open.