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 on the Accessibility Collaboration webpage. For more details, visit https://btaa.org/accessibility-collaboration
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

  • Chronicle Blog Post Hails HathiTrust for Research, Mentions CIC

    Oct 15, 2010, 15:52 PM

    A recent blog post (10/12) on the Chronicle of Higher Education website details one faculty researcher's experience using the HathiTrust, the shared digital repository co-founded by the CIC members, as well as the University of Michigan's Mirlyn library catalog. Blogger...

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  • UNL's Digital Humanities Content Awaits Entry into HathiTrust

    Sep 30, 2010, 08:00 AM

    An in-depth archive of documents related to poet Walt Whitman are among the treasures owned and housed in the University of Nebraska-Lincoln's Center for Digital Research in the Humanities, but it could soon have a wider audience of students and...

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  • Center for Library Initiatives A Partner on Cross-Consortial Grant Award

    Sep 10, 2010, 16:34 PM

    The Committee on Institutional Cooperation is one of four partners on a National Leadership Collaborative Planning Grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services that will fund the beginning of a national conversation that may lead to the development...

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  • Daily Illini Examines the CIC's Role in Digitization at the University of Illinois

    Jul 20, 2010, 11:07 AM

    The Daily Illini, the student newspaper at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, on July 15 published an in-depth article spotlighting digitization efforts at the University of Illinois library and the CIC's role in those efforts. The University of Illinois...

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  • CIC Staff Serve as Panelists at Major Conferences

    Jun 30, 2010, 10:43 AM

    Two CIC staff members recently participated in panels at major conferences. Mark Sandler, director of the CIC's Center for Library Initiatives (CLI), was on a distinguished panel of experts discussing the proposed Google Book Search settlement on June 26 at...

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  • June Center For Library Initiatives eNewsletter Launches

    Jun 25, 2010, 12:38 PM

    The June edition of the bi-annual Center for Library Initiatives eNewsletter is now available online. This issue features an article on two members of the same family who work on the Google digitization project at two different campuses; a photo...

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  • CIC Professionals Speak at Recent Conferences

    May 25, 2010, 16:23 PM

    Mark Sandler, Director of the CIC Center for Library Initiatives, and Amber Marks, Assistant Director for Course Sharing and Professional Development, were featured guest speakers at two recent conferences. Sandler was invited to speak at the recent 2010 Medical Library...

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  • Follow The CLI Conference on Twitter

    May 12, 2010, 09:35 AM

    The Center for Library Initiatives 2010 Conference, "Cranking Up the Volume: New Strategies for Broadcasting University Scholarship" gets underway on Thursday, May 13 on the campus of the University of Illinois at Chicago. Registration is closed, but anyone can follow...

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  • CLI eNews Highlights Government Documents Project, eBooks Purchase and More

    Jan 12, 2010, 14:39 PM

    The January 2010 edition of the Center for Library Initiatives eNewsletter is now available online. The CLI's biannual eNewsletter provides news and insight into the collaborative activities of the CIC libraries, from purchasing to mass digitization. This edition includes an...

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  • Library Journal reports on Library Directors' Statement On Scientific American

    Jan 7, 2010, 10:29 AM

    The Library Journal reported Jan. 6 on the CIC Library Directors' recent statement regarding Nature Publishing Group’s proposed site-license pricing for the popular title Scientific American. In an article entitled "More Dismay About Scientific American: CIC Libraries Reject New Site...

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