Assessing ETAS at Your Library

ETAS Deactivation or Continuation Overview

Updated December 16, 2021

HathiTrust is committed to providing your users with the Emergency Temporary Access Service (ETAS) for as long as there is disruption in access to your collections due to a temporary, emergency situation such as the global health pandemic. We recognize that each member will face varying scenarios for resuming services to their communities or re-activating the service, if necessary as conditions change. Below is some general guidance as you assess your library’s scenario. We will weigh each factor in determining ETAS continuation or activation, or to coordinate on a request to deactivate the service on a select date. Approved reqests for activation or re-activation normally take 24-hours to take effect.

Regardless of the scenario you are facing, for continuing ETAS access, you will continue to need to follow the ETAS Terms of Service, including the prohibition against lending any of your print titles that are available via ETAS. If you resume print lending of ETAS titles for any reason, HathiTrust will need to deactivate ETAS for your institution. We understand that you may have determined that you are now able to serve your users in much the same way you normally would, or that your users are now better served by having access to these items in physical form. In our legal analysis for ETAS, HathiTrust can not provide digital access to a book under copyright restrictions that is also physically available to loan. See Terms of Service for more information.

For libraries currently activated for ETAS, HathiTrust will conduct regular assessments following the steps in the ETAS Continuation Assessment Process below.  We intend to work with you on a case-by-case basis to assess your unique scenario and welcome inquiries at any stage of your planning process. 

Most recent webinar on ETAS
June 16, 2021, ETAS Update webinar with Executive Director, Mike Furlough.

ETAS Deactivation Requests

Libraries that determine they will no longer need to use the Emergency Temporary Access Service (ETAS) because emergency restrictions to collection access no longer apply may request deactivation on a specific date. The deactivation date may occur at any point in the future as long as the Terms of Service continue to be met during the time ETAS is activated for your library (see above.) To request ETAS deactivation, email us at support@hathitrust.org.

ETAS Continuation Factors

Listed below are conditions that in the current pandemic constitute or contribute to a disruption of normal collection access services and which do not necessarily conflict with the ETAS Terms of Service. 

The Emergency Temporary Access Service permits special access for HathiTrust member libraries that suffer an unexpected or involuntary, temporary disruption to normal operations, requiring the library to be closed to its patrons, or otherwise restrict print collection access services. There are many conditions that might constitute such a disruption, including, but not limited to closure for a public health emergency.

Many scenarios for resuming library services do not conflict with continuation of ETAS service. Your particular scenario may involve some or all of the factors below, and HathiTrust will weigh the factors applicable to your situation to arrive at a determination about whether access to your print collection is significantly disrupted. It is possible that not all factors will apply. 

Factor #1. Restricted Campus Access

• Some or all types of faculty, staff, and students will not be allowed to return to campus and/or will be required to engage in remote instruction or research.
• Some or all types of faculty, staff, and students choose not to return to campus and/or will choose for safety reasons to engage in remote instruction or research.
• Other restrictions on faculty, staff, and students being able to be on campus due to the current pandemic emergency.

Factor #2. Restricted Library Access

• All or some libraries on campus will be closed to faculty, non-library staff, and students.
• Library will offer substantially fewer open hours than usual.
• Library staff in the building will be limited to fewer staff members than usual.
• Library will significantly limit how many patrons may be in the library at one time.
• Other restrictions on library access due to the current pandemic emergency.

Factor #3. Restricted Collection Access

• Library will limit direct patron access to a significant portion of the collection stacks due to the public health circumstances.
• Library will elect not to circulate print materials at all because it will be unable to sanitize and isolate them appropriately.
• Access to the physical collection will be staff-mediated and/or restricted to the library premises only, with no checkouts, for health and safety reasons. 
• Other restrictions on collection access due to the current pandemic emergency.

When ETAS is activated for your campus, it is a good practice for you to apply a non-circulation policy in your catalog and/or discovery system to items available in ETAS so that they are clearly ineligible to circulate. See guidance on Making ETAS Items Non-Circulating.

The factors above are based on initial assessments with member libraries.  Follow the steps on ETAS Continuation Assessment Process below or contact support@hathitrust.org to initiate the assessment. 

ETAS Assessment Process: Working with HathiTrust

We invite you to assess your plans for the upcoming term using the steps below. Many scenarios do not require deactivation of ETAS service. Please contact HathiTrust to initiate an assessment. We intend to work with you on a case-by-case basis to assess your specific scenario and welcome inquiries at any stage of your planning process.

1. Review the ETAS Continuation Factors above to identify which disruptions you will be experiencing in your scenario for the upcoming term.
   
2. Complete an ETAS Assessment form. You may request this by sending a message to support@hathitrust.org.
   
3. HathiTrust staff will review assessments as we receive them and will contact you with questions as necessary. You will receive a final determination in most cases within a few days of your initial submission.
4. If we determine that you must deactivate ETAS based on your planned scenario for the upcoming term, we will work with you to identify a mutually agreeable date on which to deactivate Emergency Temporary Access Service for your institution. We recommend you allow time to prepare your community for the change. You can review our suggested 7-day communication plan and templates on the ETAS Deactivation Resources webpage. 

You may also request immediate deactivation by sending a request to support@hathitrust.org.

We understand you may face a changing situation over the course of the term. For example, you may be able to resume print collection access at the beginning of the term and therefore deactivate ETAS, but you may find partway through the term that you must shift course to again restrict collection access for health and safety reasons. In that instance, we can reactivate ETAS upon request. Please follow the How to Request ETAS steps located on the Member Support page.