University of Washington Libraries
- Company typePublic
- Founded1861
- HeadquartersSeattle, United States
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
University of Washington Libraries firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- University of Washington Libraries
- Legal name
- University of Washington Libraries
- Website
- https://lib.washington.edu
- Company type
- Public
- Founded year
- 1861
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
University of Washington Libraries industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Academic Library Services
- NAICS
- Libraries and Archives (51921), Libraries and Archives (519210), Web Search Portals, Libraries, Archives, and Other Information Services (5192), Educational Support Services (611710)
- SIC
- Services-Educational Services (8200), Books: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2731)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Academic & Research Library Operations (College/University Libraries) (EDAEAGAB)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Special Libraries (Law, Medical, Corporate, Government) Operations (EDAEAGAD), Digital Library & Electronic Resources Operations (e-Resources, Repositories, Licensing) (EDAEAGAF), Library User Services & Information Support (Reference, Research Help, Instruction Support) (EDAEAGAL), Library Collections & Cataloging Services (Acquisitions, Metadata, Circulation) (EDAEAGAE)
Keywords
Where University of Washington Libraries is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Seattle
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices4 records
Markets served
University of Washington Libraries business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- University Funding: As a public university library system, UW Libraries is primarily funded through the University of Washington's operating budget, state appropriations, and student fees.
- Philanthropy and Donations: Community and alumni support through the UW Libraries advancement team, with opportunities to support research for public good. The Tateuchi Foundation provided a transformative endowment for the East Asia Library.
- Library Services and Fines: Revenue from borrower card fees, fines for overdue materials, and replacement fees for lost items.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Annual | UW Community (Students, Faculty, Staff) - Free Access |
| Other | Annual | Community Borrower's Cards |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels6 records
University of Washington Libraries product offering
Product offeringCore offering
The University of Washington Libraries provides academic library services through approximately 16 libraries across three campuses (Seattle, Bothell, Tacoma), including access to print and digital collections, research support, databases, course reserves, interlibrary loan, special collections, data services, digital scholarship services, publishing services, and recording/audio studios. The system serves UW students, faculty, researchers, and staff, with select services extended to the broader public through Borrower's Cards and statewide programs such as HEALWA.
Product overview
University of Washington Libraries operates as a multi-location academic library system spanning 16 libraries across three campuses (Seattle, Bothell, and Tacoma). The core offering is the UW Libraries Search catalog, supplemented by curated Research Guides and Database access. Key services include Course Reserves, Interlibrary Loan, Special Collections, and Data Services (encompassing research data management, data visualization, mapping, and text mining). Digital scholarship support is provided through Digital Project Design services and the Open Scholarship Commons. Additional services include recording studios, publishing support (open access, copyright), and the Graduate Funding Information Service. A new version of the UW Libraries Search is scheduled to launch in Autumn 2026.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Quantifiable outcome
- Full digitization of The Washington Alumnus (1908-1963) completed in 2025
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use University of Washington Libraries
Customer profileNamed customers6 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
University of Washington Libraries technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
University of Washington Libraries partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- National Central Library of TaiwancoreInternational collaboration providing access to Taiwan's publications and resources. The National Central Library sponsored Professor Lin Yu-ju visit to UW as part of Taiwan Resource Center for Chinese Studies academic programs. Over 100 print titles received as gifts.
- Keio University (Japan)coreCollaboration for Japanese Studies collection development. Professor Takahiro Sasaki of Keio University provided guidance for acquisitions from antiquarian bookstores in Jinbōchō, Tokyo.
- National Library of KoreacoreInternational partnership strengthening Korean collections and expanding access to East Asian digital resources.
- Korea FoundationcoreGrant support for Korean Studies collections and programs.
- Korean Collections Consortium of North America (KCCNA)coreConsortium of 14 institutions with successful grant renewal of $10,000 annually for FY26-29 supporting collaborative Korean collections work across North America.
- HathiTrustcoreNot-for-profit collaborative of academic and research libraries preserving over 19 million digitized items. UW Libraries deposits high-resolution TIFF files, OCR text, and metadata for preservation and public access.
- Literature Translation Institute of Korea (LTI Korea)minorTravel grant support for research visit to expand the English Translation Database of Korean Literature.
- Korean Cultural Center in Los AngelesminorCollaboration on exhibition 'The Deep Time of Korean Literature' celebrating Korean literary traditions.
- Bophana Audiovisual Resource Center (Phnom Penh)minorResearch and visual training organization in Cambodia. At Elizabeth Becker's request, Libraries digitized photographs and notes, with the Bophana Center exhibiting the installation in 2019.
- Council on East Asia Libraries (CEAL)coreProfessional organization for East Asia librarianship. Annual conferences and collaborative initiatives for electronic resources curation.
- Society of Chinese Studies LibrariansminorProfessional organization. Lucy Li elected board member to chair general affairs committee for two-year term.
- Pacific Rim Research Libraries AllianceminorAnnual meeting where Azusa Tanaka presented sabbatical research on AI-assisted dating of premodern Japanese publications.
Scale indicators10 records
University of Washington Libraries competitors and assessment
Company assessmentOthers
- Orbis Cascade Alliance: Consortium of Pacific Northwest academic libraries providing shared catalog and resource-sharing services. UW Libraries is migrating its catalog platform to this consortium in Autumn 2026, making it a critical operational dependency.
- HathiTrust: Not-for-profit collaborative digital preservation repository in which UW Libraries is a depositor. Indirect strategic partner rather than competitor, but shapes the digital infrastructure landscape in which academic libraries operate.
- Council on East Asian Libraries (CEAL): Professional organization for East Asian librarianship with institutional membership. UW Libraries' Tateuchi East Asia Library participates actively; useful as a peer network for East Asian collections benchmarking.
Direct peers
- University of Chicago Library: Major R1 university library system with strong East Asian collections (Joseph Regenstein Library) and active digital scholarship programs. Comparable scope and operational structure.
- University of Michigan Library: Large R1 public university library system with comparable digital preservation initiatives, HathiTrust co-founding role, and extensive special collections. Comparable employee scale and multi-branch footprint.
- Stanford University Libraries: Major R1 university library system with strong East Asian collections (East Asia Library) and pioneering digital scholarship initiatives. Comparable innovation profile and digital collections focus.
- University of California, Berkeley Library: Major R1 public university library system with comparable scale, East Asian collections, and digital scholarship programs. Both are AAU public research libraries with extensive special collections and consortium memberships (HathiTrust, etc.).
Broad incumbents
- Harvard Library: Largest private university library system globally with extensive East Asian collections (Harvard-Yenching Library) and major digital initiatives. Useful comparator for scale and program breadth.
- Columbia University Libraries: Ivy League research library with C.V. Starr East Asian Library and significant digital scholarship programs. Comparable scale and subject-specialist model.
- Yale University Library: Elite private university library system with comparable scale of East Asian and special collections, though private funding model differs. Provides a benchmark for top-tier research library operations.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
University of Washington Libraries social profiles
Digital presenceUniversity of Washington Libraries financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
University of Washington Libraries leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
University of Washington Libraries subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries19 records
University of Washington Libraries funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
University of Washington 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 University of Washington Libraries
What does University of Washington Libraries do?
The University of Washington Libraries provides academic library services through approximately 16 libraries across three campuses (Seattle, Bothell, Tacoma), including access to print and digital collections, research support, databases, course reserves, interlibrary loan, special collections, data services, digital scholarship services, publishing services, and recording/audio studios. The system serves UW students, faculty, researchers, and staff, with select services extended to the broader public through Borrower's Cards and statewide programs such as HEALWA.
Is University of Washington Libraries a public or private company?
University of Washington Libraries is a public company. It is classified as state government owned and is currently operating.
When was University of Washington Libraries founded?
University of Washington Libraries was founded in 1861. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is University of Washington Libraries based?
University of Washington Libraries is headquartered in Seattle, United States, in the North America region.
How does University of Washington Libraries make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. University Funding is the primary driver. The others are philanthropy and Donations and library Services and Fines.
Who are University of Washington Libraries's main competitors?
Others on record are Orbis Cascade Alliance, HathiTrust and Council on East Asian Libraries (CEAL). Direct peers are University of Chicago Library, University of Michigan Library, Stanford University Libraries and University of California, Berkeley Library. Broad incumbents are Harvard Library, Columbia University Libraries and Yale University Library.
Does University of Washington Libraries have an API?
No public API is recorded for University of Washington Libraries.
What industry is University of Washington Libraries in?
University of Washington 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 EDAEAGAD, Special Libraries (Law, Medical, Corporate, Government) Operations. Its NAICS code is 51921 and its SIC code is 8200.