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.
Explore the Future of Library Collaboration: Shared Print Collection White Paper Now Available
Discover the foundational ideas and strategic vision behind the Big Ten Academic Alliance's Shared Print Collection. This new white paper outlines the progress and collective benefits of transitioning to a distributed, networked archive. Learn how the Shared Print Collection is redefining access, equity, and collaboration for the Big Ten community and beyond.
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


BTAA and Wiley Announce Open Access Publishing Pilot

Feb 14, 2022, 09:00 AM

The Big Ten Academic Alliance announced an agreement with global research and education leader Wiley for a one-year contract extension with an open access option, as a pilot in collective action toward the Big Collection.

Wiley logo

The Big Ten Academic Alliance announced an agreement with global research and education leader Wiley for a one-year contract extension with an open access option, as a pilot in collective action toward the Big Collection.

The agreement enables researchers at 13 participating flagship universities and 17 affiliated campuses to publish accepted articles open access in all of Wiley's hybrid open access journals, for an estimated more than 2,700 open access articles in 2022.

“We’re pleased to be able to take collective action and partner with Wiley as we explore how to move toward a more open and equitable future,” stated Maurice York, Director, Library Initiatives at the BTAA.  “This pilot agreement will allow us to learn more about how the consortium can successfully participate in open access scholarship and make member research available to a broader audience.”

The agreement also provides access to all of Wiley’s subscription content across the consortium. The agreement aims to advance the goals of the BTAA's  Big Collection to move toward a sustainable open scholarship ecosystem.

On behalf of the BTAA University Librarians, John Wilkin, Dean of the Libraries and University Librarian for the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, said "As leaders of our individual libraries, we are enthusiastic about the way that this agreement addresses our institutional interests while ensuring that our collective impact is more than the sum of its parts."

“The essential role that high-quality research plays in society has never been clearer,” said Liz Ferguson, Senior Vice President, Wiley Research Publishing. “Researchers across the BTAA advance knowledge on a variety of pressing topics, and it’s a pleasure to be an early partner for them and their institutions in the joint goal of making more peer-reviewed research openly available.”

For more about BTAA Open Scholarship agreements, please contact Maurice York, Director of Library Initiatives.