This message was sent to Member Representatives of HathiTrust member libraries.
December 10, 2020
Throughout 2020, HathiTrust has been developing a Statement of Values for the organization. I discussed these values in their current draft form at HathiTrust’s 2020 Membership Meeting
(view a recording of that presentation.) The text on the following pages is the most recent version of the Statement of Values, reviewed by the Board of Governors at its October 21 meeting. Our expectation is that, once finalized, these values will guide the work of HathiTrust, its staff and leadership, as well as its member-led governance bodies and advisory committees.
Before we finalize this statement, we will engage our membership in a series of discussions and seek feedback from them through a variety of channels. As a Member Representative with voting rights in HathiTrust, you will be called upon in the coming months to become familiar with the proposed Statement of Values, to provide feedback for consideration during the revision process, and finally, to cast a vote to ratify the values for the organization. We expect this engagement process to begin after New Years 2021 and conclude by June 2021.
In the meantime, I wanted you to be aware that beginning this month, we will be sharing the Statement of Values in its current form with all prospective members. Given the importance of these values to the future work of our member-driven organization, we will also share these with prospective members so that they may be fully informed of our principles and more knowledgeable about the nature of the work we undertake.
You will receive more details on the Statement of Values review process after the New Year, but if you have any questions in the meantime, please reach out.
Mike Furlough