Johns Hopkins Sheridan Libraries and University Museums

What Johns Hopkins Sheridan Libraries and University Museums does

The Johns Hopkins Sheridan Libraries and University Museums is the principal library and museums system of Johns Hopkins University, operating as a nonprofit academic service unit within the university. Established in 1876 alongside Johns Hopkins University — recognized as America's First Research University — the system comprises six physical locations across Baltimore (Homewood campus including the Milton S. Eisenhower Library, Brody Learning Commons, and Albert D. Hutzler Reading Room; Evergreen Museum & Library; and George Peabody Library) and Washington, D.C. (Irene and Richard Frary Library at the JHU Bloomberg Center). The combined holdings exceed 7.3 million physical, digital, and electronic items, including 400,000+ rare books, 300,000+ volumes at the George Peabody Library, and unique archives such as the Lester S. Levy Sheet Music Collection and the American Prison Writing Archive.

The system operates a portfolio of integrated digital platforms: the Catalyst catalog, Aeon for special collections registration and material requests, ArchivesSpace for archival management, the JScholarship institutional repository, the Johns Hopkins Research Data Repository, an electronic thesis and dissertation (ETD) submission system, and digital collections platforms. These integrate with academic systems including Canvas (eReserves), 25Live (room reservations), and ArcGIS Pro (geospatial workstations). Service lines span Digital Scholarship, Data Services (GIS, R, Tableau), Conservation and Preservation — one of the oldest uninterrupted book and paper conservation departments in an academic library — Scholarly Communication, an Open Source Programs Office, and a recently launched AI for Research & Scholarship initiative coordinated with the Hopkins AI Lab.

The Sheridan Libraries is funded primarily through the Johns Hopkins University operating budget, supplemented by philanthropic grants (Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, NEH, Kress Foundation, Alfred P. Sloan Foundation) and donations through programs such as Friends of the Libraries and Adopt-a-Book. Pricing applies only to non-JHU community members ($50 annual community borrower card during renovation periods) and specific transactional services ($60 ETD submission fee). The system serves primary segments of JHU undergraduate and graduate students, faculty and staff, JHU alumni, community borrowers, and external researchers using Special Collections; it also includes two historic university museums (Homewood Museum and Evergreen Museum & Library). Governance is provided by the Sheridan Dean of University Libraries, Archives and Museums, currently Elisabeth M. Long (appointed November 2, 2022; effective January 3, 2023).

Name

Johns Hopkins Sheridan Libraries and University Museums

Legal name

Johns Hopkins Sheridan Libraries and University Museums

Website

https://library.jhu.edu

Company type

Private

Founded year

1876

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Johns Hopkins Sheridan Libraries and University Museums is the library and museums system of Johns Hopkins University, operating six physical locations across Baltimore and Washington, D.C. with 7.3 million+ items and digital platforms including Catalyst, JScholarship, and ArchivesSpace, serving JHU students, faculty, staff, alumni, and external researchers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Academic Library Services

NAICS

Libraries and Archives (51921), Libraries and Archives (519210), Web Search Portals, Libraries, Archives, and Other Information Services (5192), Museums (71211), Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions (712)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Computer Programming, Data Processing, Etc. (7370)

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), Special Libraries (Law, Medical, Corporate, Government) Operations (EDAEAGAD), Library User Services & Information Support (Reference, Research Help, Instruction Support) (EDAEAGAL), Library Collections & Cataloging Services (Acquisitions, Metadata, Circulation) (EDAEAGAE), Libraries, Archives & Special Collections (BPAGAHAF)

Keywords

• Academic library services
• Special collections archives
• Institutional repository
• Research data services
• Digital scholarship services

Headquarters

HQ city

Baltimore

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. University Funding: Primary funding from Johns Hopkins University budget allocation as a core academic support service.
2. Donations and Philanthropy: Voluntary donations from alumni and friends through the Friends of the Libraries program, Adopt-a-Book program, and capital campaigns supporting library renovations and collections.
3. Community Borrower Fees: Community borrowers (non-JHU members) can purchase annual library cards for $50 during the MSE Library renovation period to borrow eligible physical items.
4. ETD Submission Fee: Electronic Thesis or Dissertation submission fee of $60 charged to graduate students, payable by credit card or department funds transfer.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Sheridan Libraries is the academic library and museums system of Johns Hopkins University, providing research, instruction, and access services across six physical locations (Homewood campus, Evergreen, Peabody, D.C.) with more than 7.3 million items. Core offerings include the Catalyst catalog and library accounts, special collections and university archives, institutional repositories (JScholarship, research data archive), digital scholarship and data services, ETD submission processing, eReserves for courses, scholarly communication support, conservation and preservation, and the University Museums (Homewood and Evergreen).

Product overview

The Sheridan Libraries provides a comprehensive library and archival service platform comprising the main library catalog (Catalyst), interlibrary loan services (BorrowDirect and Interlibrary Loan), institutional repositories (JScholarship, Johns Hopkins Research Data Repository), and specialized collections (Special Collections, University Archives, Digital Collections). The system integrates with academic systems including Canvas for eReserves, Aeon for special collections registration, and 25Live for room reservations. Key services include Digital Scholarship with access to the Center for Digital Humanities, Data Services for GIS and data visualization, Electronic Theses & Dissertations submission, Scholarly Communication support, and the Open Source Programs Office. The network includes six physical locations: Milton S. Eisenhower Library, Brody Learning Commons, Albert D. Hutzler Reading Room, John Work Garrett Library, George Peabody Library, and Irene and Richard Frary Library in Washington D.C.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• University Museums: Johns Hopkins University Museums including Homewood Museum and Evergreen Museum & Library, overseen by the Sheridan Dean of Libraries, Archives and Museums.

Products and services

• Catalyst Library Catalog Catalog system for finding books, music, films, journals, and limited article search across all JHU library collections.
• BorrowDirect Interlibrary loan service enabling JHU users to request books and AV materials from libraries in the Ivy Plus network (Brown, Columbia, Cornell, Dartmouth, Duke, Harvard, JHU, MIT, Princeton, Stanford, University of Chicago, UPenn, Yale) with 3–5 business day delivery.
• Interlibrary Loan and Document Delivery Worldwide service for requesting articles, books, and other library items not owned by JHU or BorrowDirect schools, plus scan-on-demand from JHU Libraries and the Libraries Service Center. Delivery in 2–4 weeks.
• Special Collections Houses rare books, manuscripts, and archival materials at Milton S. Eisenhower Library, George Peabody Library, and John Work Garrett Library, including the Winston Tabb Special Collections Research Center for innovative research and interdisciplinary collaboration.
• University Archives The Ferdinand Hamburger University Archives collects, preserves, and provides access to Johns Hopkins University history and serves as the official records depository for Homewood Campus divisions including Central Administration, Zanvyl Krieger School of Arts and Sciences, Whiting School of Engineering, Carey Business School, School of Education, and SAIS.
• Digital Scholarship Support for scholarly activities using digital tools and innovative methods, including access to the Center for Digital Humanities, digital humanities research guides, workshops, and collaboration with campus partners such as the Center for Teaching Excellence and Innovation.
• Data Services Help with data management and sharing, GIS and geospatial data, finding and accessing data, and data visualization. Offers consultations and training on data analysis and visualization, R, Tableau, and other methodologies, with ArcGIS Pro workstations on floor 6 of the Frary Library.
• Electronic Theses and Dissertations (ETD) Digital thesis/dissertation submission service required for doctoral programs and available for master's students. ETDs are deposited in JScholarship and made available online to the public. A $60 submission fee applies (payable by credit card or department funds transfer).
• eReserves and Library Reserves Electronic and physical reserves for courses supporting electronic readings integrated with Canvas and physical materials at the Service Desk. Supports book content up to 15% of print books, journal articles, streaming videos, and course-required DVDs.
• JScholarship Institutional Repository Institutional repository for Hopkins dissertations, theses, faculty publications, and open access research output from JHU students and faculty.
• Johns Hopkins Research Data Repository Open access repository for Johns Hopkins University researchers to share their research data.
• Digital Collections Explore digitized images, maps, and other archival materials from the library's collections.
• Research Consultation One-on-one consultations with subject specialist librarians available via online chat, phone, Zoom, and in person to help with discovering resources, copyright, open access, and collection building.
• Artificial Intelligence for Research and Scholarship University-wide resources, guidance, workshops, and training on AI and information to help faculty, students, and researchers engage with generative AI responsibly.
• Scholarly Communication Support for researchers in sharing and preserving scholarly work, including ORCID support, APC discounts with publishers, scholarly metrics, copyright guidance, open access policy, and PASS system.
• Room Reservations Reservable group study rooms in Brody Learning Commons and Irene and Richard Frary Library, with bookings up to 48 hours in advance, a maximum 2-hour duration, and 4 reservations per week limit.
• Instructional and Teaching Support Library instruction services for teaching research, information literacy, scholarly communication, copyright, data management, and library skills. Supports development of research assignments, online modules, and supplemental learning tools.
• Library Events and Workshops Free workshops and trainings for JHU students, faculty, and staff including introductory research methods, advanced data management classes, database training, asynchronous webinars, and DH Workshop Series such as Lunch with the Libraries & Museums.
• Conservation and Preservation One of the oldest uninterrupted book and paper conservation departments in an academic library, including Conservation Services, Preservation Services, and the Heritage Science for Conservation (HSC) program with Mellon Foundation–supported training.
• Digital Research and Curation Center (DRCC) Develops and supports information technology infrastructure of the Sheridan Libraries and supports open scholarship through development of digital infrastructure and applications.
• Open Source Programs Office Central hub empowering the Hopkins community to create, contribute to, and benefit from open source software. Receives Alfred P. Sloan Foundation support for the Research Software Support Network initiative.
• Virginia Fox Stern Center Celebrates the intellectual heritage and legacy of early print and manuscript culture from the Sheridan Libraries collections, covering historical reception of classical and medieval thought through the Renaissance and early modern period.
• Community Borrower Card Annual library card available for $50 to community members (non-JHU) to borrow eligible physical items during the MSE Library renovation period, with pickup at JHU libraries.

Named customers5 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• BorrowDirect Network (Ivy Plus Libraries)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPartnership with 13 Ivy Plus research universities (Brown, Columbia, Cornell, Dartmouth, Duke, Harvard, JHU, MIT, Princeton, Stanford, University of Chicago, UPenn, Yale) enabling rapid interlibrary book and AV borrowing through the BorrowDirect system. JHU users can request items from partner libraries with 3-5 business day delivery.
• Interlibrary Loan (ILL) NetworkcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorGlobal interlibrary loan network enabling JHU users to request articles, books, and materials from libraries worldwide not available through BorrowDirect or JHU collections.
• Center for Digital Humanities (JHU)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCampus partnership with CDH led by Computer Science Professor Tom Lippincott focusing on computational methods with humanities materials using Machine Learning and text analysis. Supports digital scholarship services.
• Center for Teaching Excellence and Innovation (CTEI)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCampus partnership offering digital course enhancements and administering the Instructional Enhancement Grant Program. Collaborates on AI in Practice Series and teaching best practices.
• Data Services (JHU Libraries)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternal JHU Libraries department offering training in data analysis and visualization, GIS, R, Tableau, and other data methodologies. Partnered with digital scholarship and research support services.
• Hopkins AI LabcoreTechnology or IntegrationUniversity-wide AI initiative providing resources, guidance, workshops, and training on AI tools to help faculty, students, and researchers engage with generative AI responsibly. Libraries support AI literacy.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Harvard Library: Harvard Library is the library system of Harvard University, one of the world's premier research universities and a fellow BorrowDirect Ivy Plus partner. Both operate vast academic research collections with extensive special collections, conservation programs, and digital scholarship services supporting world-class research universities.
• Stanford Libraries: Stanford Libraries is the library system of Stanford University and a BorrowDirect partner. Both operate as integrated digital-and-physical library systems for major US research universities with strong digital scholarship, data services, and AI initiatives.
• Columbia University Libraries: Columbia University Libraries is the central library system of Columbia University and a BorrowDirect partner. Both systems serve Ivy League research universities with comparable scope of special collections, archives, and digital scholarship services.
• Princeton University Library: Princeton University Library serves Princeton University as its central research library and is a BorrowDirect partner. Both feature rare books and special collections divisions (Firestone at Princeton parallels Garrett and Peabody at JHU), conservation programs, and integrated digital scholarship services.
• MIT Libraries: MIT Libraries serves the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and is a BorrowDirect partner. Both operate as integrated academic library systems supporting major research universities, with comparable digital scholarship and open access initiatives.
• Duke University Libraries: Duke University Libraries serves Duke University as its central library system and is a BorrowDirect partner. Both operate research library systems for major US private research universities with comparable digital scholarship, special collections, and AI/research support services.
• University of Pennsylvania Libraries: University of Pennsylvania Libraries serves the University of Pennsylvania and is a BorrowDirect partner. Both operate as comprehensive academic library systems for Ivy League research universities with comparable collections, archives, and digital services.
• Cornell University Library: Cornell University Library serves Cornell University as its central library system and is a BorrowDirect partner. Both systems support large research universities with comparable collection sizes, special collections divisions, and digital infrastructure investments.
• University of Chicago Library: University of Chicago Library is the central library system of the University of Chicago and a BorrowDirect partner. Both serve major US research universities; notably, the current JHU Sheridan Dean Elisabeth Long previously served two decades at University of Chicago Library, providing direct leadership lineage.
• Yale University Library: Yale University Library serves Yale University as its central research library system and is a core BorrowDirect partner. Both systems feature deep special collections, rare book libraries (Beinecke at Yale parallels Peabody at JHU), and serve elite research universities with comparable collections scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/mselibrary
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/JHULibraries
• Facebookfacebook.com/jhulibraries
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/jhulibraries
• Instagraminstagram.com/jhulibraries

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Subsidiaries3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Johns Hopkins Sheridan Libraries and University Museums