HathiTrust is governed by a Board of Governors, composed of six members appointed by HathiTrust founding institutions, six elected from the membership at large, and the Chief Executive Officer, who serves as an ex officio, non-voting member. 5 Board members serve on an Executive Committee elected by the Board. One member of the Board is the chair of the Program Steering Committee. View the charge and membership of the Board of Governors and the Program Steering Committee, or the HathiTrust bylaws.
The Board was established through a Constitutional Convention of HathiTrust partners held in 2011. Elections to the Board took place in March 2012 and the Board was established in April 2012. Prior to April 2012 HathiTrust was governed by an Executive Committee, advised by a Strategic Advisory Board. The Executive Committee and Strategic Advisory each charged working groups and committees. Those that were active at the time the Board was established continue to be active through the end of 2012.
Finances
The budget of HathiTrust is currently a separately maintained budget, held within the University of Michigan budget system and managed by the Executive Committee. Some additional financial components of the operation are represented by commitments in kind by participating members. The University Library’s financial procedures are subject to audits by the University of Michigan Office of University Audits.
Succession Plan
Support for HathiTrust resources and services is provided by the HathiTrust partnering institutions. The University of Michigan is the current host of the infrastructure where digital content deposited by the partners is preserved and made accessible. Support for this infrastructure is part of the base-funded responsibilities of the University of Michigan Library, and ongoing funding for the Library is provided to that end. Content is deposited by institutions on a perpetual, non-exclusive basis, but is owned by the depositing institution. Hardware, software and services purchased by the University of Michigan or resources created by the University of Michigan are done so on behalf of the partners with a commitment to constant sharing and transparency. Should the funding or organizational imperatives of the University of Michigan Library change, the Library will develop a succession plan and will devote multi-year funding to support of the transition to another host institution.