Libraries

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.

web accessibility
Library Accessibility Group webinar: Revised ADA Title II in the Library
The slides and recording from the webinar on August 27, 2024 are now available.
Academy Owned Scholarly Publishing Landscape Report
Launched in the fall of 2022, the Big Ten Academic Alliance [BTAA] landscape assessment of academy owned scholarly publishing activities explores the shared challenges and opportunities facing publishing programs and operations within the Big Ten institutions.
big ten open books
Big Ten Open Books
Big Ten Open Books connects readers everywhere to fully accessible, trusted books from leading university presses. Established as a new model for open-access publishing focused on equity and inclusion, we invite you to explore our Gender and Sexuality studies collection.
BIG Collection: Resource Access Policy Harmonization Report
The Resource Access Policy Harmonization pilot team is pleased to share their final report. Aspirational in nature, the report includes the new BTAA Resource Sharing Agreement plus Scanning Standards; reaffirms the Principles and Protocols for Sharing Special Collections within the Big Ten; and articulates important next steps for future pilot projects and working group investigations.

Library News


University of Maryland and Rutgers University Officially Become Members of the CIC

Jul 1, 2013, 00:01 AM

The University of Maryland and Rutgers University have become members of the Committee on Institutional Cooperation, effective July 1, 2013.

Logos of CIC, University of Maryland, and Rutgers


The University of Maryland and Rutgers University have become members of the Committee on Institutional Cooperation, effective July 1, 2013.

Maryland and Rutgers join the CIC at a very exciting time for the consortium.  For more than 55 years, CIC member universities have collaborated to advance their academic missions, generate unique opportunities for students and faculty, and serve the common good by sharing expertise, leveraging campus resources, and creating innovative programming.  

The addition of the University of Maryland and Rutgers University will increase CIC membership to 15 institutions, which includes the Big Ten Conference institutions and the University of Chicago. All CIC universities share a very strong research emphasis. Together CIC universities engage in $8.4 billion in funded research each year—the addition of these two universities will push that to $9.3 billion, and will add another 8 million library volumes and over 5,600 more full-time faculty to the collective resources of the consortium. In addition, these new colleagues bring leading-edge collaborative research programs such as the Cell and DNA Repository and UN Study Program at Rutgers and the National Foreign Language Center and National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism at Maryland.

From sharing lab resources and facilities, to digitizing millions of book volumes, to strategically co-investing in technology infrastructure, CIC universities work smarter, harder, together every day. 

Said CIC Executive Director Barbara McFadden Allen, "We are pleased to welcome so many distinguished faculty and staff from Rutgers and Maryland. Our campus visits have reinforced our belief that these outstanding universities are a perfect fit—culturally and academically—for the CIC.”

Contacts:

  • Barbara McFadden Allen, Executive Director
    Committee on Institutional Cooperation
    bmallen@staff.cic.net
    217-766-1425
  • Crystal Brown, Chief Communications Officer
    University of Maryland 
    crystalb@umd.edu
    301-405-4618
  • Kim Manning, Vice President for University Relations
    Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey
    kmanning@oldqueens.rutgers.edu
    848-932-1769

About the CIC: The CIC is the nation's premier higher education consortium of top-tier research institutions, including the Big Ten Conference members and the University of Chicago. Through collaboration CIC members save money, share assets, and increase teaching, learning and research opportunities. Founded in 1958, CIC members engage in voluntary, sustained partnerships such as library collections and access collaborations; technology collaborations to build capacity at reduced costs; purchasing and licensing collaborations through economies of scale; leadership and development programs for faculty and staff; programs that allow students to take courses at other institutions; and study-abroad collaborations. For more information, please visit www.cic.net or watch a short video on the consortium.