Research driven & inclusive
We gain a deep understanding of problems through qualitative and quantitative research, working directly with affected communities and stakeholders
How We Work
ITHAKA Labs is part of ITHAKA, a nonprofit with deep roots across libraries, scholarship, and education. This means that expanding access to education and knowledge is at the heart of everything we do. It also means we know how to grow new ideas to produce system-wide impact and long-term sustainability.
Our approach
Iterative & experimental
We prototype quickly, test assumptions, learn from failures, and refine solutions based on real-world feedback
Open & collaborative
We work in the open whenever possible, share learnings freely, and believe the best solutions emerge from diverse partnerships
Our project types
Some ideas need exploration. Others are ready to grow. Still others just need a little help getting off the ground. We do it all.
Discover
Not every breakthrough starts with an idea. Sometimes it starts with a challenge, unmet need, or question that no one has fully answered. We work with institutions, educators, and other partners to map the landscape, explore opportunities, understand users, and test new possibilities—transforming uncertainty into insights.
Discovery (also known as R&D) projects can take many forms. A one-day “design jam” might bring stakeholders together to generate and prioritize ideas. A month-long engagement could involve user research and rapid prototyping to test potential solutions. Longer efforts may include pilot projects that evaluate whether a new service, product, or approach can create meaningful impact in the real world. Discovery efforts often leverage the market insights, research capabilities and field engagement of our colleagues in Ithaka S+R.
Explore related projects
Completed
Reimagining the Monograph
Consisting of both a white paper and the Topicgraph prototype, Reimagining the Monograph shows how design thinking can unlock some of the value lost as longform scholarship has migrated to digital.
Completed
The Future of Annual Meetings and Scholarly Societies
This research project was conducted by Ithaka S+R and JSTOR Labs to investigate the challenges facing scholarly conferences and opportunities for change.
Completed
Cultural History Baseball Cards
The cultural history of baseball, one player at a time. Cultural History Baseball Cards is a proof of concept showcasing a way to use Linked Open Data to connect diverse corpora.
Incubate
For incubations, we work with partners, institutions, and communities to transform promising concepts into sustainable services that can create lasting impact.
Incubation projects begin when there is evidence that a solution addresses a real need and deserves further investment. Our role is to help promising ideas mature through continuous learning, user-centered design, strategic partnerships, and operational development. Depending on the initiative, incubation may involve refining a product, expanding adoption, developing a sustainable business model, securing funding, building a team, or establishing the partnerships needed for long-term success. Throughout, we draw on the expertise ITHAKA has developed in building and sustaining mission-driven services such as JSTOR and Portico.
Explore related projects
Active
JSTOR Access in Prison Initiative
The JSTOR Access in Prison Initiative is a three year project to scale access to JSTOR to all higher education in prison (HEP) programs in the United States.
Active
Transfer Explorer: A National Credit Mobility Solution
Building a national credit mobility website to connect students and institutions with easily accessible, up-to-date, and accurate information on how credits transfer and count towards degrees.
Invest
We strategically invest in organizations whose work aligns with ITHAKA’s mission to expand access to education, knowledge, and opportunity. We provide capital, as well as expertise, relationships, and the lessons we’ve learned in building and sustaining mission-driven services.
Our role is to help accelerate promising work, learn alongside innovative leaders, and strengthen the broader ecosystem of organizations advancing educational opportunity.
Interested in partnering with Labs?
We work with colleges and universities, libraries, publishers, foundations, and nonprofit organizations to create inspiring solutions that expand access to knowledge and education.