Libraries
The Libraries of the Big Ten Academic Alliance are aligned in the vision of uniting our separate collections into one collection, shared and fully networked: the BIG Collection. By this phrase we mean a holistic and comprehensive understanding of what a library "collection" is: not simply the things we hold, but our services; our people; our expertise; our technology; and our infrastructure.
In advancing this future of interdependence and excellence, we are guided by our North Star in everything that we do:
In order to advance a just, trustworthy, scalable & sustainable open knowledge ecosystem, make open, more equitable scholarship our lead purpose.
On these pages, you'll find more about the services, programs, and community that are advancing this vision in a principles-centered, mission-driven, values-aligned way.
ADA Title II & Libraries
Catch the webinar replay + slides from our August 27 event. Now posted on our Accessibility page.
Big Ten Open Books
A new model for open-access publishing
Free, trusted titles from Big Ten university presses.
Shared Print White Paper
Explore the vision for a collaborative, distributed archive across Big Ten libraries.
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Wiley and Big Ten Academic Alliance Sign Agreement to Advance Open Scholarship Across Leading U.S. Institutions
Jul 2, 2026, 08:00 by Janka PieperThe agreement includes full read access and unlimited publishing for hybrid journals and expands access across 16 flagship universities and 19 affiliate campuses.Full story -
Diamond Open Access on the rise in the U.S., thanks to Gates Foundation grant
Nov 19, 2025, 09:12 by Janka PieperLyrasis, the Big Ten Academic Alliance, and the California Digital Library have received a $206,886 Gates Foundation grant to map U.S. Diamond Open Access journals. The project will strengthen community-governed, non-commercial scholarly publishing.Full story -
Big Ten Academic Alliance and Springer Nature Announce First-Ever Unlimited Open Access Publishing Agreement in the Americas
May 29, 2025, 00:00 by Benjamin HoogstraatFull story -
Big Ten Academic Alliance Renews Support for MIT Press’s Direct to Open, Driving Open Access to 80 New Monographs in 2025
Jan 16, 2025, 11:53 by User Not FoundThe 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.Full story -
Big Ten Academic Alliance Groups Mobilize to Further Digital Accessibility
Aug 5, 2024, 12:10 by User Not FoundPreparing to respond to the new Title II accessibility regulations, several peer communities banded together to form Big Ten Academic Alliance Accessibility Collaboration. Partnering across the consortium are the IT Accessibility Group, ADA Coordinators, Learning Technology Leaders, the Library Accessibility Group, and others.Full story