International Cooperation Initiative
A strategic vision of the SBL is to “promote broad, open academic cooperation and critical perspectives within and among fields of study and across global boundaries.” But voices from around the globe are underrepresented, and we are all the poorer for it. In 2007, to address this issue and facilitate meaningful, international, and multidirectional scholarly collaboration, SBL established the International Cooperation Initiative (ICI). Find information about the initiative’s many projects below. Questions about the initiative may be sent to the chair of the ICI Committee, Nasili Vaka’uta, or staff liaison, Courtney Godwin.
ICI Newsletter
Nasili Vaka’uta, chair of the ICI Committee, collects information about and on behalf of the initiative and distributes it via email to those interested. Contact Nasili Vaka’uta directly to add your name to the list.
Online Books
The ICI project provides free PDF files to scholars and students who may not otherwise have access to these resources. These resources are available for persons in countries with a GDP per capita (PPP) that is substantially lower than the average GDP per capita of the United States and the European Union, which is defined as being below the average GDP per capita of all of the countries of the world. Eligible countries are listed on the ICI Eligibility Document.
Academic presses partnering with SBL Press in this project include Brown Judaic Studies, Catholic Biblical Association, Fortress Press, Gorgias Press, Sheffield Phoenix Press, Westminster John Knox Press, and Wiley-Blackwell. SBL thanks these partners for their vision and dedication to fostering biblical scholarship.
Journal Subscriptions
Institutions located in countries that qualify for the ICI Books Program also qualify for reduced subscription rates to the Journal of Biblical Literature and the Review of Biblical Literature. With these reduced rates, a print JBL subscription costs $35 plus shipping and a print RBL subscription costs $20 plus shipping.
Open-Access Book Series
Two open-access book series are published through the ICI: Ancient Near East Monographs (ANEM) and International Voices in Biblical Studies (IVBS).
Visa Letters for Travel to the Annual or International Meetings
The SBL Visa Coordinator will advise members who need visas in order to travel to and participate in the Annual or International Meetings. She will not prepare applications, but is a source of information to aid members in submitting applications and will provide letters of intent if needed by those participating in the meeting as presenters or committee members. For more information, please contact the SBL visa coordinator directly.
JSTOR Journal Discount Programs
African Access Initiative: JSTOR waives the standard participation fees (the Archive Capital Fee and the Annual Access Fee) for any not-for-profit institution in a country on the continent of Africa.
Developing Nations Access Initiative: JSTOR waives or offers reduced participation fees for any academic or not-for-profit institution in developing countries (and all of Africa).
Quick Links
Open Access Book Series
Support the ICI
The ICI program would not be possible without the generous support of SBL’s members.