Abstract In the years immediately preceding and following the new millennium, Illinois academic librarians have launched exciting new ventures to enhance and strengthen the vitality and influence of libraries in the state. As catalysts for cooperation, these librarians have displayed creativity, collegiality, and leadership in forming alliances. This article describes the recent cooperative activities of four Illinois academic consortia and posits that their most recent initiative, an academic library council, has implications for libraries of all types, as well as libraries in other states.