HathiTrust Authentication Help
What is HathiTrust?
HathiTrust Digital Library opens in a new window is an inter-institutional repository of digitized books and journals. Established in 2008 at the University of Michigan, HathiTrust provides a range of access and preservation services for public domain and copyrighted opens in a new window content from sources such as Google Books, Internet Archive, Microsoft, and the digital initiatives of its international partners opens in a new window.
The Library of Congress provides registered readers – both onsite and offsite – with expanded authenticated access to HathiTrust through their Library of Congress Reader Identification Card account number and the password they establish to request items from the Library’s collections.
Features Available to Registered Readers
Registered readers may access a number of advanced features in HathiTrust, including the ability to:
- Download full PDFs of public domain works that appear in HathiTrust.
- Access HathiTrust's Collection Builder opens in a new window, a tool that helps you create and share your personal collections of HathiTrust items for private or public use.
Please note: Logging into HathiTrust as a registered reader does not provide access to page images of HathiTrust copyrighted materials opens in a new window submitted by other institutions (e.g., "Limited (search only) items"). Full text view of copyrighted content is restricted to researchers affiliated with the contributing institution.
HathiTrust Login Procedure
Before logging into HathiTrust, make sure you have an Library of Congress patron account. Patron accounts are linked to your Reader Registration Identification Card, which can be obtained through Reader Registration. If you have a Reader Registration card issued before April 2009, your account will need to be renewed before you can use this service.
To log into HathiTrust:
- Go to the HathiTrust home page at: https://www.hathitrust.org opens in a new window. Then click the Log In button.
- Select Library of Congress from the dropdown list of partner institutions, then click Continue. You will be taken to the Library's Patron Authentication logon page.
- On the LC Patron Authentication logon page, enter the first two letters of your last name. Omit punctuation (such as apostrophes). Make sure you capitalize the first letter of your last name (for example, Ba or Do). Capitalizing both letters also works (for example, BA or DO).
- Enter your Reader Registration Identification Card account number (located underneath the barcode). Make sure to capitalize the first alphabetic character of your account. Then click Login.
- Check the HathiTrust Web page for a welcome message acknowledging that your authentication credentials have been accepted and you are successfully logged in.
If you are working at a public workstation: When you end your HathiTrust session, make sure to close your Web browser completely to log out of HathiTrust. Closing your browser completely prevents the next user from accessing your HathiTrust information.
HathiTrust Authentication Using Shibboleth
The Library of Congress Patron Authentication System uses Shibboleth opens in a new window, a standards-based, open source application that identifies registered readers and sends minimal identity information to target institutions such as HathiTrust. Your authentication credentials contain verification of your status as a Library patron along with the first two letters of your last name. Neither HathiTrust or Shibboleth retain your personal information.
If you experience problems logging into HathiTrust, please contact a reference librarian.