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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Sustaining Values and Scholarship: A Statement by the Provosts of the Big Ten Academic Alliance
Jun 10, 2019, 09:49 by SystemThe Big Ten Academic Alliance continues its advocacy for a sustainable and open ecosystem of publication. Collectively, our institutions’ more than 50,000 faculty are supported by over $10 billion (2017) in research funding, and our institutions have similarly invested significantly in our capacity to further our missions to advance knowledge. Together, we produce roughly 15% of the research publications in the United States.Full story -
Big Ten Academic Alliance Cooperative Cataloging Partnership receives ALCTS Collaboration Award
Feb 27, 2018, 10:43 by SystemThe Association for Library Collections & Technical Services (ALCTS) has selected the Big Ten Academic Alliance Cooperative Cataloging Partnership (BTAA CCP) as the recipient of the ALCTS Outstanding Collaboration Citation for 2018.Full story -
Strength in Numbers: Building a Consortial Cooperative Cataloging Partnership
Oct 23, 2017, 11:13 by SystemLibrarians across the Big Ten Academic Alliance are collaborating to provide greater access to cross-institutional collections through a strategic effort to supplement cataloging capacity.Full story -
Mark Sandler wins 2017 Hugh C. Atkinson Memorial Award
Feb 2, 2017, 12:01 by SystemMark Sandler, former Big Ten Academic Alliance Director of Library Initiatives, has been awarded the 2017 Hugh C. Atkinson Memorial Award.Full story -
CIC's Rebecca Crist on Collaborative Stewardship of Shared Collections
May 4, 2016, 10:04 by SystemA new monograph explores how libraries and the organizations that provide services to them are devoting more attention to system-wide organization of collections—whether the "system" is a consortium, a region or a country.Full story