A flexible, sustainable way to acquire and access ebooks
Academic libraries and publishers partner with Books at JSTOR to reduce barriers, expand scholarly access, and invest in future-forward, mission-driven publishing and research.
182,000+
Scholarly ebooks
85+
Disciplines covered across all books
Aligned with your budgets, workflows, and collection strategies
Books at JSTOR helps libraries streamline acquisition, expand access and discovery, and maximize collection value through flexible models alongside open access.
- Reliable, barrier-free access, with unlimited, DRM-free, perpetual use of ebooks
- An integrated experience that connects ebooks with scholarly journals, research reports, special collections, images, and multimedia on the JSTOR platform
- Simple interoperation with workflow partners like GOBI Library Solutions/Mosaic, Rialto, and Schweitzer Fachinformationen
Choose the model that’s best for your library
Publisher Collections
- Build your ebook collection more efficiently with complete title sets from 36 trusted academic presses
- Secure a perpetual JSTOR license to a publisher’s current-year title set, with access to all its earlier titles on JSTOR while participating
- Benefit from an equitable, tiered fee structure based on your institution’s JSTOR classification
Path to Open
- A community-led, multi-press program that places humanities and social science monographs on a guaranteed pathway to open access
- New titles are chosen from participating press submissions using criteria including demand, expected impact, and representation
- Participating libraries pay an annual, or multi-year fee to gain licensed access to 300 new titles each calendar year, along with 600 Path to Open titles from the previous two years, before they become open and see demonstrated increases in visibility and use
Evidence-Based Acquisition (EBA)
- Unlimited access to 95,000+ high-quality, backlist ebooks from 115+ scholarly publishers at a fraction of the cost, for a single upfront annual fee
- Choose January-December or July-June cycles, with usage data and a portion of the fee applied toward title purchases, ensuring every perpetual access acquisition reflects reader engagement
- Easy combination with DDA to offer a broad range of frontlist and backlist content while controlling costs
Demand-Driven Acquisition
- Broad access to a large set of 159,000+ frontlist and backlist ebooks with no upfront fee, giving libraries maximum flexibility
- Purchases triggered when titles reach a set usage threshold, so acquisitions reflect real demand
- Management through GOBI Library Solutions/Mosaic or Rialto to streamline acquisition
Subject packages and individual titles
- Pre-built subject packages of frontlist and backlist ebooks from the most current year, covering 60+ disciplines
- Title-by-title selection to build more packages from 182,000+ titles, or from any combination of publisher, discipline, and copyright year
- Diverse content from leading university presses, respected independent publishers, and public policy research organizations
Community voices
A lot of very smart people have been trying to figure out how to make open access books sustainable at scale. Path to Open is one of the most promising experiments that I’ve seen.
When JSTOR approached us with an offer to participate in their new Publisher Collections program, we saw it as an opportunity to offer libraries more choices. We were impressed with the care, collaboration, and commitment they brought to construct a solution that benefits both publishers and libraries.
Big Ten Open Books is pursuing a robust programmatic future for open monograph publishing by creating open content, on open infrastructure, using open distribution models. JSTOR, one of our partners in this effort, has been working closely with the academic community to provide these essential services, helping realize our vision of making open scholarship reach millions of users.
Learn more about Books at JSTOR
What happened when the first Path to Open books became open access?
When 100 Path to Open titles became freely available worldwide, their readership quickly extended far beyond the institutions that had previously provided access.
From Pilot to Impact: What Happens When JSTOR’s Path to Open Books Become Open?
Watch this Charleston webinar, originally held on September 3, 2026, to hear representatives from the Boston Library Consortium, University of Oregon, Liverpool University Press, Syracuse University Press, and JSTOR discuss new evidence and community perspectives on the impact of the first 100 Path to Open titles to become open access.
JSTOR Transitions Path to Open Pilot to an Ongoing Program, Offering a Sustainable Model for Open Access Monographs
JSTOR’s Path to Open has transitioned from a pilot to an ongoing program, demonstrating that a collaborative, community-supported model can sustainably expand open access for monographs. Early results show significant growth in participation, titles, and global usage.
From model to practice: Evaluating Publisher Collections
How are libraries evaluating ebook acquisition models? Watch this on-demand Library Journal webinar to hear how SMU, Hartford, publishers, and JSTOR evaluate new programs like Publisher Collections in practice.
Publisher Collections on JSTOR: a new milestone for scholarly ebooks
Publisher Collections are now live on JSTOR, marking a new milestone for scholarly ebooks. Developed collaboratively with libraries and academic publishers, this new model offers perpetual access to a publisher’s current-year output alongside seamless access to backlist titles on JSTOR.
First 100 path to open books now available open access worldwide on JSTOR
The first 100 Path to Open books are now free to read worldwide on JSTOR—proving a community-funded model can expand access, sustain presses, and amplify scholarly impact.
Celebrating 100 Path to Open books becoming open access
Path to Open has reached a major milestone: the first 100 scholarly books have officially flipped to open access on JSTOR. This post celebrates what that moment represents for libraries, publishers, and authors working together to expand global access to high-quality academic monographs.
Explore the latest titles in JSTOR’s Path to Open program November 2025
Explore new Path to Open titles on JSTOR supporting teaching and research. View November 2025 releases and access options.
Sustainable books models and digital stewardship at Charleston 2025
At this year’s Charleston Conference, JSTOR hosted two lunch events. Highlights included updates on Path to Open, Publisher Collections, and JSTOR Seeklight’s growing role in AI-assisted metadata generation.
See how Books at JSTOR can strengthen your ebook strategy
Tell us which models you’d like to explore and what details you need. We’ll share tailored information to help you choose the best options for your community.
Get expert ebook guidance
Find the right Books at JSTOR model for your institution
Discover flexible acquisition options tailored to your library’s goals. Our team can help you compare models, maximize budgets, and expand access to scholarly ebooks.
Frequently asked questions
Why are ebook fees not included on JSTOR fees pages?
Books list fees are not included because we offer savings for each institution which are calculated annually based on an institution’s JSTOR Archive Collection participation level, plus the institution’s prior year’s books spend.
Do digital rights management or usage restrictions apply to ebooks acquired through JSTOR?
All ebooks on JSTOR are available exclusively in a DRM-free, unlimited-user, perpetual access licensing model on JSTOR. Ebook chapters work just like the journal articles, with unlimited simultaneous use, PDF downloads and printing, and no need to log in or use special software.
Can I order ebooks on JSTOR through other books workflow providers?
We collaborate with workflow partners, like GOBI Library Solutions/Mosaic, Rialto/OASIS, and Schweitzer Fachinformationen, to make ebook acquisitions easier and more efficient for libraries.