ABSTRACT
SUMMARY. This paper is based on a presentation given by Loretta Ebert, Director of the Rensselaer Research Libraries at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York. It followed a presentation given by Kenneth Frazier similarly titled, “What’s the Big Deal?” in which he discussed his institution’s rationale for avoiding Big Deals. In this paper, the utilization of the Big Deal by a consortium of independent academic libraries in New York State provides an example of emerging models of collaboration among libraries that demonstrate cost-effective use of Big Deals, value-added collections and improved access for scholars regardless of their institutional affiliations. A shared electronic collection provides a case study for analyzing variable cost and usage data across members of a consortium and the elements that contributed to a successful collaboration. [Article copies available for a fee from The Haworth Document Delivery Service: 1-800-HAWORTH. E-mail address: <docdelivery@haworthpress.com> Website: <https://www.HaworthPress.com>]
