HathiTrust’s Shared Print Program Phase 3

 

The HathiTrust Shared Print Program will be turning 5 this year and to honor this exciting milestone, we are
proud to share our plans for Phase 3 of our program.

Building on Phase 1, which established initial retention libraries, and Phase 2, which focused on collection
analysis, Phase 3, titled the “Unique Non-Circulating Collection”will focus on securing commitments on
unique, non-circulating, single-part monographs held in our digital library and at member institutions.
Phase 3 will be an iterative effort that will start later this year by recruiting pilot libraries who currently
participate in our Shared Print Program to commit unique content already in the public domain. These pilot
libraries will act as partners with HathiTrust to help us better scope the service and define policies and
procedures. Qualifying public domain titles will be held by 1-2 member libraries, are non-circulating or in-library
use only, in special collections, or the retention library is willing to make them non-circulating.

Our current program, which offers the benefits derived from lending, has the tradeoff of an increased risk of
damage and loss. Phase 3 will transform how HathiTrust thinks about shared print by acknowledging and
addressing the higher levels of risk associated with circulating shared print items. HathiTrust was founded on
the concept of preservation and the shared print program builds on that by linking the preservation of print and
digital collections. The program will enhance HathiTrust’s ability to target preservation efforts through risk
mitigation, look across the membership to identify unique items as a priority, and align with both our values and
strategic directions.

By focusing on unique content across HathiTrust’s member collections, this project also empowers our
members by helping them to identify unique materials in their own collections. Together through a coordinated
effort, HathiTrust libraries can guarantee print preservation of a large swath of at-risk public domain items.
Changing the landscape of shared print will not happen overnight. The creation of a unique, non-circulating
shared print phase will take time to do correctly. Still, the long-term value for our members and for future
scholars far outweighs the time and effort to overcome the challenges in order to revolutionize collections and
shared print.