diff --git a/setup.py b/setup.py
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--- /dev/null
+++ b/setup.py
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+#!/usr/bin/env python
+# coding: utf-8
+
+# In[ ]:
+
+
+import os
+import requests
+import shutil
+from pathlib import Path
+from setuptools import setup, find_packages
+
+def readme(short=False):
+    with open('README.md', encoding='utf-8') as f:
+        if short:
+            return f.readlines()[1].strip()
+        else:
+            return f.read()
+
+setup(
+    name='21cmLSTM',
+    version='1.0.0',
+    description='21cmLSTM: A Fast Memory-based Emulator of the Global 21 cm Signal with Unprecedented Accuracy',
+    long_description=readme(),
+    author='Johnny Dorigo Jones',
+    author_email='johnny.dorigojones@colorado.edu',
+    url='https://github.com/jdorigojones/21cmLSTM',
+    packages=find_packages(),
+    install_requires=open('requirements.txt').read().splitlines(),
+    license='MIT',
+    classifiers=[
+               'Intended Audience :: Science/Research',
+               'Natural Language :: English',
+               'License :: OSI Approved :: MIT License',
+               'Programming Language :: Python :: 3',
+               'Topic :: Scientific/Engineering',
+               'Topic :: Scientific/Engineering :: Astronomy',
+               'Topic :: Scientific/Engineering :: Physics',
+    ],
+)
+
+# the below code creates a hidden folder in $HOME to store needed auxiliary H5 and txt files (i.e., data sets, trained models, training set min and max values)
+# and copies/downloads those files to the folder
+# the location of this folder can be changed here if the user's $HOME has storage limitations, but note that if the location of this folder is changed here
+# then the specified PATH must be updated in the emulator.py, preprocess.py, and eval.py scripts for the respective model/data
+BASE_PATH = f"{os.environ.get('HOME')}/.Global21cmLSTM/"
+MODELS_INSTALL_PATH = os.path.dirname(os.path.realpath(__file__))+'/Global21cmLSTM/models/'
+emulator_files_list = ['emulator_21cmGEM.h5', 'emulator_ARES.h5', 'train_maxs_21cmGEM.txt',\
+                       'train_mins_21cmGEM.txt', 'train_maxs_ARES.txt', 'train_mins_ARES.txt']
+
+if not os.path.exists(BASE_PATH):
+   os.makedirs(BASE_PATH)
+
+if not os.path.exists(BASE_PATH+'models/'):
+   os.makedirs(BASE_PATH+'models/')
+
+if not Path(BASE_PATH + 'dataset_21cmGEM.h5').exists():
+    print('Downloading data set for 21cmGEM (Cohen et al. 2020) used in Dorigo Jones et al. 2024 and also Bye et al. 2022 and Bevins et al. 2021.')
+    r1 = requests.get('https://zenodo.org/record/5084114/files/dataset_21cmVAE.h5?download=1')
+    with open(BASE_PATH + 'dataset_21cmGEM.h5', 'wb') as f1:
+        f1.write(r1.content)
+
+if not Path(BASE_PATH + 'dataset_ARES.h5').exists():
+    print('Downloading data set for ARES used and generated in Dorigo Jones et al. 2024.')
+    r2 = requests.get('https://zenodo.org/record/13840725/files/dataset_ARES.h5?download=1')
+    with open(BASE_PATH + 'dataset_ARES.h5', 'wb') as f2:
+        f2.write(r2.content)
+
+for item in emulator_files_list:
+    shutil.copyfile(MODELS_INSTALL_PATH+item, BASE_PATH+'models/'+item)
+