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.
Maurice York Appointed Director of Library Initiatives
The Big Ten Academic Alliance is delighted to announce that Maurice York has been appointed as the new Director of Library Initiatives, effective May 21, 2020. Headquartered in the Midwest, the Big Ten Academic Alliance is the nation’s preeminent model for effective collaboration among research universities. With a 62-year history of substantive collaboration, the Big Ten and University of Chicago libraries pursue collective action to provide robust and enduring access to information resources, to advance models for more open and sustainable scholarship, and to engage shared investment in programs of efficiency and impact across the consortium.
In welcoming
Maurice, Keith Marshall, Executive Director of the Big Ten Academic
Alliance, said, "Maurice is an accomplished library leader with a deep
commitment to the collaboration and collective action that define the
Big Ten Academic Alliance. We are confident he will help us continue to
advance the impact and reputation of the Big Ten Academic Alliance
library initiatives and achieve the ambitious goals of the BIG
Collective Collection."
Maurice comes to the Big Ten Academic Alliance from the University of Michigan where he has served
as Associate University Librarian for Library Information Technology.
Prior to his time at the University of Michigan, Maurice held a series
of progressively responsible positions at Bard College, Emory University
and North Carolina State University. He also has been an active and
visionary leader in numerous national initiatives designed to ensure
the open access of knowledge in the public interest through collective
action.
Maurice holds a Bachelor of Arts in Multidisciplinary Studies from Bard College and a Master of Science in Library and Information Science from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
“I’m excited to have Maurice as the next director of Big Ten Academic Alliance library initiatives,” said Sarah Pritchard, chair of the Big Ten Academic Alliance Library Directors group. “He is so familiar with major national consortial projects and with the record of work in the Big Ten itself, that he will be able to effectively carry forward the venturesome strategies we have outlined.”