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Join – HathiTrust Digital Library
<!DOCTYPE html> <html lang="en-US" class="no-js"> <head> <meta charset="UTF-8"> <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width,initial-scale=1"> <link rel="preload" href="https://www.hathitrust.org/wp-content/themes/wordpress-hathitrust/fonts/mulish-v12-latin-500.woff2" as="font" type="font/woff2" crossorigin> <title>Join – HathiTrust Digital Library</title> <meta name='robots' content='max-image-preview:large' /> <style>img:is([sizes="auto" i], [sizes^="auto," i]) { contain-intrinsic-size: 3000px 1500px }</style> <link rel='stylesheet' id='site-fonts-css' href='https://www.hathitrust.org/wp-content/themes/wordpress-hathitrust/fonts.min.css?ver=1712686017' media='all' /> <link rel='stylesheet' id='firebird-styles-css' href='https://www.hathitrust.org/common/firebird/dist/assets/index-6e01118f.css?ver=6.7.1' media='all' /> <link rel='stylesheet' id='site-styles-css' href='https://www.hathitrust.org/wp-content/themes/wordpress-hathitrust/dist/css/style.min.css?ver=1739473235' media='all' /> <script type="module" src="https://www.hathitrust.org/common/firebird/dist/assets/index-dc9fb031.js?ver=6.7.1"></script><link rel="canonical" href="https://www.hathitrust.org/join/" /> <link rel="icon" href="https://www.hathitrust.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/cropped-favicon-32x32.png" sizes="32x32" /> <link rel="icon" href="https://www.hathitrust.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/cropped-favicon-192x192.png" sizes="192x192" /> <link rel="apple-touch-icon" href="https://www.hathitrust.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/cropped-favicon-180x180.png" /> <meta name="msapplication-TileImage" content="https://www.hathitrust.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/cropped-favicon-270x270.png" /> <script> // in case any of the links and scripts fail setTimeout(function() { document.body.style.visibility = 'visible'; document.body.style.opacity = '1'; }, 1500); </script> </head> <body class="page-template-default page page-id-103 page-parent" tabindex="-1" style="visibility: hidden; opacity: 0;"> <hathi-cookie-consent-banner></hathi-cookie-consent-banner> <div class="visually-hidden-focusable" id="skiplinks" role="complementary" aria-label="Skip links"> <ul> <li><a href="#page-content">Skip to main content</a></li> </ul> </div> <div id="maindocument"> <div id="ht-header"> <hathi-website-header data-prop-search-state="toggle"></hathi-website-header> </div> <hathi-alert-banner></hathi-alert-banner> <main id="content" class="main" tabindex="-1"> <nav class="bc has-hl" aria-label="Breadcrumbs"> <ol itemscope itemtype="https://schema.org/BreadcrumbList" class="semlist"> <li itemprop="itemListElement" itemscope itemtype="https://schema.org/ListItem"> <a itemprop="item" href="https://www.hathitrust.org"> <span itemprop="name">Home</span> </a> <meta itemprop="position" content="1"> </li> <li itemprop="itemListElement" itemscope itemtype="https://schema.org/ListItem"> <a itemprop="item" href="https://www.hathitrust.org/join/" aria-current="page"> <span itemprop="name">Join</span> </a> <meta itemprop="position" content="2"> </li> </ol> </nav> <div class="twocol"> <div class="twocol-side"> <h1>Why Join</h1> </div> <div class="twocol-main" id="page-content"> <div class="mainplain"><p><span style="font-weight: 400">HathiTrust’s 200+ research and academic library members leverage their collective resources and vision to steward the largest collection of digital books managed by a non-profit organization thereby strengthening the resilience of the research and academic library community to thrive in the face of challenges. </span></p> <p>Since HathiTrust’s inception in 2008, our members have contributed digital library content and expertise, as well as collaborated on the organization’s strategic direction, governance, collection management, and services. As a result, millions of people around the world benefit from the preserved record of knowledge.</p> <p> </p> </div> <form class="sj" hidden> <label for="sj">Jump to Section</label> <select id="sj"> <option value="why-join">Why Join</option> <option value="member-benefits">Member Benefits</option> <option value="who-can-join">Who Can Join</option> <option value="how-to-join">How to Join</option> </select> <button type="submit" class="btn btn-secondary">Select</button> </form> <div class="mainplain"><h2><b>Why Join</b></h2> <p><span style="font-weight: 400">As an academic and research library leader, you face many challenges: disruptions in higher education and competitive funding; demands to deliver high-quality digital content; environmental threats to collections; evolving methods of instruction and information access; and an imperative to reckon with centuries of systemic racism and oppression that manifest in our libraries and institutions. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400">To continue serving our academic communities and the public as we navigate this new era, we must draw on our strengths to collectively address these and other significant challenges. For 15 years, HathiTrust has been a locus for academic and research libraries seeking to do more together than any one library can do on its own.</span></p> <h2><b>Member Benefits</b></h2> <p><span style="font-weight: 400">HathiTrust members enjoy and contribute to the following community benefits:</span></p> <p><b>Access</b><span style="font-weight: 400">: Download complete works in the public domain or those available through open access* and support opportunities to further lawful access to the 18+ million items in our collection, outside of a licensing or subscription model. See the <a href="https://www.hathitrust.org/the-collection/search-access/#hathitrust-access-chart"><strong>HathiTrust Access Chart </strong></a>for details.</span><span style="font-weight: 400"><br /> </span></p> <p><a href="https://www.hathitrust.org/the-collection/preservation/"><b>Preservation</b></a><span style="font-weight: 400">: Ensure preservation of the scholarly record at scale and avoid costs of maintaining local preservation program by contributing your library’s unique content. (All works in copyright — regardless of contributing institution — are restricted for reading and downloading access by copyright law.) </span></p> <p><b>Collaboration</b><span style="font-weight: 400">: Inform solutions to emerging digital preservation challenges and transform user access and collection management through member-driven working groups and collective action.</span><span style="font-weight: 400"><br /> </span></p> <p><a href="https://www.hathitrust.org/about/research-center/"><b>Scholarly and Computational Research</b></a><span style="font-weight: 400">: Access advanced text and data mining tools through our research center, as well as download public domain items in a variety of formats.</span><span style="font-weight: 400"><br /> </span></p> <p><a href="https://www.hathitrust.org/member-libraries/services-programs/"><b>Unique Services</b></a><span style="font-weight: 400">: Receive a range of services and programs made possible by the digital library collection from special access to the collection during library emergencies to print preservation in the Shared Print Program.</span></p> <p><a href="https://www.hathitrust.org/member-libraries/services-programs/atrs/"><b>Support for Accessibility</b></a><span style="font-weight: 400">: Offer members of your academic community with print disabilities access to any text in the collection in a format compatible with adaptive technologies. </span></p> <p><b>Resources and Tools</b><span style="font-weight: 400">: Keep up with the community and gain additional insight through events, peer-to-peer webinars, publications, and professional development opportunities.</span></p> <h2><b>Who Can Join</b></h2> <p><span style="font-weight: 400">As a collaborative by libraries and for libraries, HathiTrust welcomes academic and research libraries to join our membership. We are looking for new perspectives and a diversity of libraries to help expand our understanding of common challenges and to meet the needs of more learners, researchers, and educators. We also seek to create paths of entry for academic communities historically excluded from participation by dominant culture. We encourage members from these categories:</span></p> <ul> <li style="font-weight: 400"><span style="font-weight: 400">Academic and research libraries (government and specialized institutions may be considered)</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400"><span style="font-weight: 400">University systems of libraries</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400"><span style="font-weight: 400">Community colleges</span></li> </ul> <p><span style="font-weight: 400">We accept membership inquiries from non-profit research libraries and library consortia worldwide to review on a case-by-case basis. </span><b>Note: </b><span style="font-weight: 400">We do not offer trial memberships. </span></p> <p><strong><a class="btn btn-tertiary link-arrow" href="https://www.hathitrust.org/member-libraries/member-list/">Current HathiTrust members</a></strong></p> <p><b>NOT Eligible for Membership</b></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400">At this time, we do not consider memberships from:</span></p> <ul> <li style="font-weight: 400"><span style="font-weight: 400">Individuals, including independent researchers</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400"><span style="font-weight: 400">Libraries associated with for-profit organizations</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400"><span style="font-weight: 400">Non-profit organizations without a library</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400"><span style="font-weight: 400">Public libraries without a clear research mission</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400"><span style="font-weight: 400">Public or private K-12 or secondary school libraries</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400"><span style="font-weight: 400">Non-libraries, including publishers</span></li> </ul> <h3><b>Fundamental Requirements for Joining Members</b></h3> <h3><b><br /> </b><span style="font-weight: 400">In addition to the eligibility criteria, prospective members must also be able to meet the following technical, legal, and financial requirements. </span><b></b></h3> <p><b>Use SAML 2.0-based authentication service</b><span style="font-weight: 400"> Your institution should operate a SAML 2.0-based authentication service, such as Shibboleth or Open Athens to identify an individual’s affiliation to your library. Contact your local or central IT liaison to confirm.</span><span style="font-weight: 400"> </span></p> <p><b>Sign Legal Contract</b><span style="font-weight: 400">: Your institution must be able to enter into a Supporting Libraries/Membership Agreement with the University of Michigan on behalf of HathiTrust.</span></p> <p><b>Pay Annual Fees</b><span style="font-weight: 400">: HathiTrust’s members share the costs of operating our services and programs. Review <a href="https://www.hathitrust.org/join/cost-fees/">HathiTrust’s Cost Allocation Model and Tiers</a> for details. Annual fees for the majority of our members range from $6,600 to $13,000 USD depending on your library expenditures and collection details. </span></p> <h2><b>How to Join</b></h2> <h3><strong>Prepare</strong></h3> <ul> <li style="font-weight: 400"><span style="font-weight: 400">Review the eligibility, cost, and technical requirements in </span><b>Who Can Join</b><span style="font-weight: 400">. </span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400"><span style="font-weight: 400">Obtain leadership-level support for HathiTrust membership. This could be your library dean, faculty department chairs, or provost. </span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400"><span style="font-weight: 400">Complete the </span><a href="https://forms.gle/AHvXa7d3tFBF7TU59"><b>Membership Intake Form</b></a><span style="font-weight: 400">: A HathiTrust team member will review your request and contact you within one week to answer questions and discuss next steps. </span></li> </ul> <h3><strong>Join</strong></h3> <p><span style="font-weight: 400">Membership inquiries are reviewed regularly by HathiTrust Governance. Once accepted, the actions listed below complete the path to membership.</span></p> <ul> <li style="font-weight: 400"><b>Obtain Fee Estimate</b><span style="font-weight: 400">: To develop an estimate of your potential annual fees, you must submit holdings data in the form of OCLC numbers on your library’s physical collections. </span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400"><b>Sign a Legal Contract</b><span style="font-weight: 400">: Obtain the signature of the person with the legal standing to enter into a <a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1BaNdZCu0ZfTakIq77jmEUEXCfVFQNidb/view?usp=drive_link">Supporting Libraries/Membership Agreement</a> with the University of Michigan on behalf of HathiTrust.</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400"><b><a href="https://www.hathitrust.org/member-libraries/resources-for-librarians/print-holdings/">Submit Complete Print Holdings</a>:</b><span style="font-weight: 400"> To facilitate service access, libraries must submit a second round of more detailed data on physical collections to facilitate HathiTrust service access. </span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400"><a href="https://www.hathitrust.org/join/authentication/"><b>Test Login and User Authentication Service</b></a><span style="font-weight: 400">: The login method authenticates, or proves, an individual’s affiliation to your library. </span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400"><a href="https://www.hathitrust.org/join/cost-fees/"><b>Submit Annual Fees</b></a><span style="font-weight: 400">: Pay annual fees to sustain HathiTrust infrastructure and services, based on the cost allocation model. At the time of joining, we invoice a pro-rated fee for libraries. Full fees are then calculated and invoiced in December for the following year. Members are not invoiced until all joining steps above are complete. </span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400"><b>Assign Library Contacts</b><span style="font-weight: 400">: Provide dedicated contacts to assist in cooperative operations of HathiTrust. </span></li> </ul> <p><span style="font-weight: 400"> </span></p> </div> <div class="pb-wrapper pb2-wrapper"> <h2 id="" class="pb-heading allcaps"></h2> <div class="pb"> <div class="pb-contents"></div> <div class="pb-link" data-hathi-trigger="hathi-feedback-form-modal" id="feedback-form"> <button type="button" class="btn btn-primary"><span></span></button> </div> </div> <hathi-feedback-form-modal data-prop-form="basic" data-prop-is-open="false"></hathi-feedback-form-modal"> </div> </div> </div> <div class="btt-wrapper"> <a class="btn btn-primary btn-arrow" href="#content">Top</a> </div> </main> <hathi-website-footer></hathi-website-footer> </div><!-- /#maindocument --> <script src="https://www.hathitrust.org/wp-content/themes/wordpress-hathitrust/dist/js/scripts.min.js?ver=1739473235" id="site-scripts-js"></script> <script src="https://www.hathitrust.org/wp-content/themes/wordpress-hathitrust/dist/js/cookies.min.js?ver=1739473235" id="cookie-scripts-js"></script> <script src="https://www.hathitrust.org/wp-content/themes/wordpress-hathitrust/dist/js/highlight.min.js?ver=1739473235" id="highlight-scripts-js"></script> <script src="https://www.hathitrust.org/wp-content/themes/wordpress-hathitrust/src/js/matomo.js?ver=1710196128" id="matomo-script-js"></script> </body> </html>