Indiana University and the CIC universities have entered into a collective agreement with Google to digitize their distinctive book collections.

The consortium will create a first-of-its-kind “Shared Digital Repository” to provide collective archiving and access to the full content of out-of-copyright works. Google will digitize an estimated 4 to 7 million volumes of the CIC libraries. 

“Participation in the Google Books Project is a gift to the IU Libraries and to all book lovers who will have access through the Internet,” says Patricia Steele, Ruth Lilly Interim Dean of University Libraries. “By introducing additional ways to discover books, the project will increase the use of one of the university’s most valuable assets—our unique and irreplaceable collections, acquired over centuries.”

This agreement nearly doubles the number of universities participating in the Google Book Search Project and will bring together the holdings of the CIC libraries into one massive digital resource.

The Committee on Institutional Cooperation (CIC) is a consortium of 12 research universities, advancing their missions by sharing expertise, leveraging campus resources and collaborating on innovative programs.

Read the CIC announcement.