FAQ
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More information about HathiTrust is also available in the California Digital Library HathiTrust
FAQ . Please email hathitrust-info@umich.edu for inquiries regarding copyright permissions and partnership, or general questions about HathiTrust.
General
What is HathiTrust?
What does the name HathiTrust mean?
How will researchers benefit?
Are the materials open to everyone?
What is the CIC?
The Committee on Institutional Cooperation (CIC) is the academic equivalent of the Big Ten, plus the University of Chicago. It includes the University of Illinois, the University of Illinois at Chicago, Indiana University, University of Iowa, University of Michigan, Michigan State University, University of Minnesota, Northwestern University, Ohio State University, Penn State University, Purdue University and University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Who's taking the lead?
The University of Michigan, Indiana University, the University of Virginia, and the University of California system, all highly regarded for their expertise in the areas of information technology, digital libraries, and project management, are leading the partnership effort through their expertise and financial commitment. All members of the CIC are founding partners.
Is HathiTrust only for content digitized by Google?
No! HathiTrust’s aspirations, at the very least, are to bring together all of the digitized books and journals held by libraries, to provide secure, long-term storage and (where possible) access, and to aid in larger preservation efforts for printed materials.
Is content in HathiTrust limited to books and journals? How does HathiTrust relate to my institutional repository?
Although HathiTrust intends to expand the function of the Repository beyond digitized book and journal content, and particularly to the types of information research libraries store in Institutional Repositories, the initial success of the Repository will depend on an effort focused on conventional book and journal content. Time and experience will guide how HathiTrust’s partners continue to evolve the Repository's capabilities.
What about the digitized material?
How does HathiTrust protect access to in-copyright works?
What options existed previously?
Print materials were previously housed in separate locations and connected only by online catalogs, inter-library loan policies, and reciprocal borrowing agreements. Digital collections, despite being online, reflected the same institutional "scatter." HathiTrust builds on the strong relationships of the CIC-with its longstanding history of fruitful cooperation—and extends the benefits of the digital age. With the introduction of HathiTrust, "we are all owners of all of it."
Potential partners