The HathiTrust pageturner is a public application. Users are not required to authenticate to gain access to the application itself. Access to the digital objects (page images and OCR) is controlled solely by application logic. The logic is based on data from the HathiTrust Rights Database and a mapping from that data to a final access status. Access to the elements of the user interface that enable the user to access the digital object is a function of the the final access status.

Rights Database Query

The application sends the identifier for a digital object to the Rights Database which returns a attribute number between 1 and 9. The semantics of this number are briefly noted and described more fully elsewhere. The SQL query for id X is: SELECT id, attr FROM rights WHERE id='X' ORDER BY time DESC LIMIT 1;

Mapping to Final Access Status

A simple mapping of the rights attribute is performed to generate a status code of allow or deny as follows. Descriptions of the rights attributes are are available in the rights database documentation. 

[1] A rights attribute of 3 is described as “out-of-print and brittle” and implies a status of in-copyright. UM has the right to make access to digital objects derived from material of this nature available to users located within campus libraries. A final access status of allow is given is requests to view the material originating from IP addresses identified as being within campus library buildings. [2] A rights attribute of 6 is described as meaning "available to UM affiliates and walk-in patrons (all campuses)". Currently, the affiliation is not checked under the assumption that no stored objects have a rights attribute of 6, therefore a final access status of allow is given. Access to digital objects with rights attribute 6 will require authentication when such objects come into existence. [3] A rights attribute of 9 is given a final access status of allow if the IP address of the user agent is within the United States, United States Minor Outlying Islands or Virgin Islands, U.S. as determined by a query to the GeoIP database. The access is deny if the IP address originates elsewhere.

Interpretation of the Final Access Status in the User Interface

The following table details the elements of the user interface to which the user has access as a function of the final access status.