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

  • CIC's Armstrong Presents at EDUCAUSE 2009

    Nov 13, 2009, 12:36 PM

    Kimberly Armstrong, assistant director of the CIC’s Center for Library Initiatives, delivered a talk at the 2009 EDUCAUSE Annual Conference in Denver on Nov. 4. Armstrong’s presentation focused on how collaboration may help solve “the scholarly communication problem." Scholars and...

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  • Article examines CIC, University of Chicago digitization efforts

    Nov 6, 2009, 11:14 AM

    The Nov. 6 edition of the Chicago Maroon examines the University of Chicago's participation in the CIC's mass digitization partnership with the Google Book Search Project. "Scanning and digitizing one book costs $60. Scanning and digitizing the University’s 7.7 million printed...

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  • Article on mass digitization efforts at Northwestern cites CIC

    Oct 28, 2009, 16:28 PM

    The Daily Northwestern, the campus student newspaper, featured mass digitization efforts at the Northwestern University library in its Oct. 28 issue. The article, "Materials keep going digital at library," highlights the CIC's agreement with Google Book Search to digitize up...

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  • CIC's Darlene Hutchinson profiled in Inside Illinois

    Oct 2, 2009, 13:25 PM

    The CIC's Darlene Hutchinson was profiled in the Oct. 1 edition of Inside Illinois, the employee publication of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Hutchinson, the office manager for the CIC's Center for Library Initiatives, appears in the publication's question-and-answer...

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  • CIC Provosts File Letter With Court in Google Settlement

    Sep 4, 2009, 16:16 PM

    The CIC has been a Google digitization partner since 2007. Under the terms of the partnership, Google will digitize up to ten million volumes across the CIC universities. In September 2009, the CIC filed a letter with the federal court of New...

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  • CIC Libraries Developing Research Services to Leverage HathiTrust Content

    Aug 3, 2009, 16:00 PM

    CIC Libraries Developing Research Services to Leverage HathiTrust Content MONK text-analysis tools to be shared in secure online environment CHAMPAIGN, Ill. –The Library Directors of the Committee on Institutional Cooperation are taking the first step toward providing specialized research tools and services...

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  • Detroit Radio Highlights HathiTrust's Digital Catalog Search Launch

    May 12, 2009, 11:50 AM

    Detroit radio station WWJ Newsradio 950 reported on the HathiTrust's launch of a new catalog search that delivers nearly 3 million full-text records through an Internet browser. HathiTrust, a shared digital repository, was conceived as a collaboration of the Committee...

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  • Student Newspaper Chronicles Digitization of Books at IU

    Apr 25, 2009, 21:04 PM

    In its April 23 edition, the Indiana Daily Student reported on the current and future digitization of Indiana University library volumes by Google. IU's folklore collection, the largest in the world, is the first CIC "collection of distinction" to be...

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  • Penn State Sends First Book Shipment to Google

    Mar 20, 2009, 14:49 PM

    The Penn State library has sent its first shipment of books to be digitized by Google as part of the CIC's partnership with the Google Book Search Project. Among the volumes are Penn State's distinctive English and American literature collections....

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  • CIC HathiTrust SDR and OCLC join forces

    Feb 9, 2009, 14:33 PM

    The CIC HathiTrust Shared Digital Repository and OCLC (Online Computer Library Center) will partner together "to increase visibility of and access to items" in the HathiTrust SDR, the pair announced in January. According to a news release issued by OCLC, "OCLC and HathiTrust will...

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