Penn State University Libraries
- Company typePublic
- Founded1855
- HeadquartersUniversity Park, Pennsylvania, United States
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
Penn State University Libraries firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Penn State University Libraries
- Legal name
- The Pennsylvania State University
- Website
- https://libraries.psu.edu
- Company type
- Public
- Founded year
- 1855
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Penn State University Libraries industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Academic Library Services
- NAICS
- Libraries and Archives (51921), Web Search Portals, Libraries, Archives, and Other Information Services (519)
- SIC
- Services-Educational Services (8200)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Academic & Research Library Operations (College/University Libraries) (EDAEAGAB)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Digital Library & Electronic Resources Operations (e-Resources, Repositories, Licensing) (EDAEAGAF), Library User Services & Information Support (Reference, Research Help, Instruction Support) (EDAEAGAL)
Keywords
Where Penn State University Libraries is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- University Park, Pennsylvania
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices14 records
Markets served
Penn State University Libraries business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Operations
Revenue model
- University Funding: Primary funding from Penn State University as a core academic support unit, providing free access to students, faculty, and staff
- Alumni Borrower Fees: Penn State Alumni Association members receive library borrowing privileges as a membership benefit
- Late Fees and Replacement Charges: Fees collected for overdue materials including course reserves ($1/hour), videos ($1/day), special permission loans ($3/day), replacement library cards ($5 for non-affiliates), and replacement bills with $25 processing fee
- Donations and Endowments: Accepts charitable contributions and manages endowed funds to support collections, services, and library programs
- Pennsylvania Residents: Residents of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and other approved borrowers may receive library cards with associated privileges
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Annual | Students, Faculty, Staff - Free access |
| Subscription | Annual | Alumni - Membership benefit |
| Subscription | Annual | Pennsylvania Residents and Visitors |
| Usage-based | Pay-as-you-go | Overdue Fees |
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels8 records
Penn State University Libraries product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Penn State University Libraries operates the academic library system for The Pennsylvania State University, providing physical and digital collections, catalog discovery (Catalog and LionSearch), scholarly publishing (ScholarSphere), course reserves, interlibrary loan, research data services, and specialized collections across 20+ campus locations. Services are offered primarily to Penn State students, faculty, and staff, with selected access for alumni, Pennsylvania residents, and external scholars.
Product overview
Penn State University Libraries operates as a comprehensive academic library system offering a unified platform of information access and research support services. The core infrastructure consists of the Libraries Catalog for bibliographic discovery, LionSearch for unified resource aggregation, and ScholarSphere for institutional repository functions. Supporting services include Course Reserves for instructional materials, Interlibrary Loan for resource sharing, Technology & Equipment Lending including the Omnicharge wireless charging service, and Adaptive Technology & Services for accessibility. The system maintains significant digital collections including the Digital Map Drawer, Digital Newspapers, and Special Collections accessible through the Eberly Family Special Collections Library. Research support is provided through Library Instruction, Research Data Services, and Electronic Theses and Dissertations repository services. Newer initiatives include the Harriman Recollected digital project and a self-serve PDF remediation tool for accessibility.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Penn State University Libraries Catalog
- LionSearch
- ScholarSphere
- Course Reserves
- Interlibrary Loan Services
- Technology and Equipment Lending
- Adaptive Technology and Services
- Research Data Services
- Eberly Family Special Collections Library
- Digital Map Drawer
- Digital Newspapers
- Donald W. Hamer Center for Maps and Geospatial Information
- Library Instruction and Workshops
- Electronic Theses and Dissertations (ETD)
- Harriman Recollected Digital Project
- PDF Remediation Tool
Quantifiable outcome
- Services extended to 20+ campus locations across Pennsylvania
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use Penn State University Libraries
Customer profileNamed customers6 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles5 records
Penn State University Libraries technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration4 records
AI capability4 records
Feature4 records
Penn State University Libraries partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Big Ten Academic Alliance (BTAA)coreCollaboration on the BTAA Geoportal for geospatial data sharing. Penn State contributes map data to the shared geoportal enabling cross-institutional access to geospatial information resources. Libraries contribute to shared digital infrastructure and collection development initiatives.
- Pennsylvania Academic Library Consortium, Inc. (PALCI)coreE-ZBorrow resource sharing program allowing Penn State students, faculty, and staff to borrow materials directly from other consortium member libraries. 16-week loan periods for consortium borrowings.
- Pennsylvania Newspaper Archive PartnersminorCollaborative digitization partnerships with various Pennsylvania institutions contributing to and accessing the Pennsylvania Newspaper Archive. Jeffrey Knact as project lead coordinates with contributing partners for newspaper digitization and access.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Penn State University Libraries competitors and assessment
Company assessmentEmerging players
- JSTOR: Digital library and academic content platform with which Penn State faculty/students interact directly. Highly comparable on the digital scholarly content and discovery function even though JSTOR is a commercial subscription service.
- HathiTrust: Shared digital preservation repository formed by major U.S. academic libraries; Penn State participates as a member. Comparable function on the digital preservation, large-scale digitization, and collective access axes.
Broad incumbents
- OCLC: Cooperative library services organization providing WorldCat cataloging infrastructure used across academic libraries. Direct overlap on discovery, cataloging and metadata services even though OCLC operates at much broader industry scale.
- Ex Libris (Clarivate): Vendor of the Alma library services platform and Summon discovery layer (the platform underlying Penn State's LionSearch). Comparable on the discovery/research-platform axis as a commercial incumbent supplying peer systems.
Direct peers
- University of Wisconsin-Madison Libraries: Public Big Ten research library with comparable holdings depth, digitization programs, multi-campus service, and active participation in shared BTAA consortial infrastructure.
- Cornell University Library: Ivy-equivalent R1 research library system operating arXiv, deep digital preservation, and extensive special collections. Highly comparable on the digital infrastructure and scholarly communications axis even though privately governed.
- University of Michigan Library: One of the largest U.S. academic research library systems with comparable print and digital collections, multi-format special collections, deep preservation programs, and active participation in BTAA. Direct analog as a public R1 university library of similar scale.
- University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Library: Big Ten public research library with massive physical and digital collections, strong institutional repository, and deep involvement in shared academic infrastructure. Comparable scale and public-university mandate.
- Ohio State University Libraries: Major Big Ten public research university library with comparable multi-branch structure, substantial special collections and archives, institutional repository, and strong digital services. Closest peer in size and mission profile.
Regional players
- Center for Research Libraries: Consortium of academic and research libraries supporting deep preservation and access to rare scholarly resources. Comparable mission on preservation, resource sharing and shared access to non-mainstream materials.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Penn State University Libraries social profiles
Digital presencePenn State University Libraries compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
Penn State University Libraries financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Penn State University Libraries leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles6 records
Penn State University Libraries subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries7 records
Penn State University Libraries funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Penn State University Libraries M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Penn State University Libraries
What does Penn State University Libraries do?
Penn State University Libraries operates the academic library system for The Pennsylvania State University, providing physical and digital collections, catalog discovery (Catalog and LionSearch), scholarly publishing (ScholarSphere), course reserves, interlibrary loan, research data services, and specialized collections across 20+ campus locations. Services are offered primarily to Penn State students, faculty, and staff, with selected access for alumni, Pennsylvania residents, and external scholars.
Is Penn State University Libraries a public or private company?
Penn State University Libraries is a public company. It is classified as state government owned and is currently operating.
When was Penn State University Libraries founded?
Penn State University Libraries was founded in 1855. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is Penn State University Libraries based?
Penn State University Libraries is headquartered in University Park, Pennsylvania, United States, in the North America region.
How does Penn State University Libraries make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. University Funding is the primary driver. The others are alumni Borrower Fees, late Fees and Replacement Charges, donations and Endowments and pennsylvania Residents.
Who are Penn State University Libraries's main competitors?
Emerging players on record are JSTOR and HathiTrust. Broad incumbents are OCLC and Ex Libris (Clarivate). Direct peers are University of Wisconsin-Madison Libraries, Cornell University Library, University of Michigan Library, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Library and Ohio State University Libraries. Center for Research Libraries is listed as a regional player.
Does Penn State University Libraries have an API?
No public API is recorded for Penn State University Libraries.
What industry is Penn State University Libraries in?
Penn State University Libraries's product category is Academic Library Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDAEAGAB, Academic & Research Library Operations (College/University Libraries), with a secondary code of EDAEAGAF, Digital Library & Electronic Resources Operations (e-Resources, Repositories, Licensing). Its NAICS code is 51921 and its SIC code is 8200.