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HathiTrust Update, September 2011 – Constitutional Convention and much more

October 17, 2011 Author: Ellen MeltzerCategories: Tags:

Read the latest about the recent HathiTrust Constitutional Convention (with wide UC library participation), HathiTrust Mobile, Authors Guild Lawsuit, and a whole host of other initiatives in the latest HathiTrust update.

Constitutional Convention

On October 8-10, 2011, 130 representatives from 64 HathiTrust partner institutions, including library directors, chief information officers, and senior library administrators, gathered in Washington D.C. for an unprecedented “Constitutional Convention” to reflect on the accomplishments of HathiTrust since its launch in 2008, and determine directions and priorities for the partnership in its next phase. The business portion of the meeting consisted of deliberations and voting on 7 ballot initiatives presented by partner delegations prior to the convention. The final proposals and outcomes are available at http://www.hathitrust.org/constitutional_convention2011. A large portion of Convention was also spent in general discussions on a variety of topics including the new pricing model for partner institutions, lawful uses of library-owned materials, and international cooperation. A more complete report on the Convention, its outcomes, and what they mean for the partnership, is forthcoming. The following presentations from the Convention are available on the HathiTrust website:

  • Opening remarks (view text or presentation): John Wilkin, Executive Director, HathiTrust
  • Report on HathiTrust 3-year review and Q&A (view presentation): Ed Van Gemert and Trisha Cruse, HathiTrust Strategic Advisory Board

HathiTrust Mobile

Following a soft release in August, HathiTrust is pleased to formally announce its new mobile interface (visit http://m.hathitrust.org). The interface offers mobile-friendly access to key functionality including searching the HathiTrust catalog and reading HathiTrust “Full view” texts. Users from HathiTrust partner institutions can download texts in PDF or ePub format. Since the mobile interface is web-based, it works on all platforms, and may be viewed either from mobile devices or from desktops and laptops. The interface has special functionality for tablets where there are two ways to read texts: either in the vertical scrolling format, or in a horizontal flip format. Please give the new mobile interface a try and don’t hesitate to send your comments and feedback.