HathiTrust Constitutional Convention on Record

On October 8-9, 2011 delegates from across the U.S. and around the world gathered in Washington, DC for a landmark event, the HathiTrust Constitutional Convention [1]. Our goals were to review the work and accomplishments of the now 3-year-old HathiTrust, and chart its future governance and priorities. Before the group were seven different ballot proposals [2] that had been submitted by HathiTrust partners ahead of the meeting. On a beautiful autumn weekend, the delegates headed indoors, gathered around tables, and deeply engaged in the proceedings and discussion.

As a result of these proceedings, HathiTrust:

• Will establish a governance structure consisting of a Board, a Board Executive Committee, and Board-appointed committees, and will articulate bylaws
• Will formalize a transparent process for inviting, evaluating, ranking, launching and assessing development initiatives
• Will establish a shared print monograph archiving program among the member libraries
• Will expand and enhance access to U.S. federal publications including those issued by GPO and other federal agencies
• Will develop and vet a fee-for-service model to allow contribution of content from non-partner entities

The Convention was also an opportunity to celebrate the achievements of HathiTrust in less than three short years: over 60 partners, infrastructure that preserves and makes discoverable close to 10 million volumes, and the HathiTrust Research Center that will enable new forms of research.

For a full account of the proceedings, please consult the official minutes of the Constitutional Convention [3].