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Syracuse University Libraries

HathiTrust Digital Library

What is HathiTrust?

HathiTrust is a partnership of over 200 (and growing!) research institutions and libraries worldwide. Syracuse University has been a member since 2013. This partnership results in an immense collection of digital resources, ensuring that the resources are securely preserved and available for access and use both now and in the future.

Originally established in 2008, HathiTrust works to provide “published record as a public good to users around the world” as much as possible within copyright law.

Benefits of partnership

Partner institutions (like Syracuse University) as well as their users gain many benefits from joining HathiTrust!

  • Improved downloading permissions (full volumes for works not in copyright)
  • Ability to create and save collections
  • Access to text-enabled PDFs regardless of copyright status for users with print disabilities (applies only to works owned by SU Libraries)
  • Access to full-text of titles owned by SU Libraries that are brittle or otherwise unusable, regardless of copyright status, as covered under US Copyright Section 108

Visit HathiTrust for more institutional benefits

HathiTrust vs. Google Books

Features Google Books Project HathiTrust
Numbers 15 million items 18 million items and is growing
Content Type books, journals, magazines, reports, and government documents books, journals, magazines, reports, musical scores, and government documents
Organization Google owns the Google Book Project and decides how to manage it partnership of libraries and institutions, with membership and shared governance
Full-Text Search full-text search within all the content; browse to sections containing the search terms full-text search within all the content; pages where terms are found are displayed
Full-Text Download full-text download of the whole item for those items that out of copyright full-text download for members of HT of the whole item for those items that are out of copyright
Copyright status does not work on identifying copyright status of "orphan" works will work on identifying copyright status of "orphan" works

WorldCat Records

 MARC records in WorldCat that lead to the project's "landing page" ; there will sometimes be duplicate records; leads to links to holidng libraries MARC records in WorldCat that lead to the project's "landing page" ; there will sometimes be duplicate records; leads to links to holidng libraries
Long term archiving and reformatting as needed of full text Not a key part of the mission Is a key part of the mission
Replacement of library material Not a source of replacements for missing library materials Is a source of replacements for missing library materials, under US Copyright Section 108

Table based on one created by Barbara DeFelice and William Fontaine, Dartmouth College.