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.
14,000+
Open access ebooks
340+
Contributing academic publishers
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/OASIS, and Schweitzer Fachinformationen
Choose the model that’s best for your library
New: Publisher Collections
- Among the first nonprofit-led publisher collection models, with a growing list of 20+ presses
- Perpetual JSTOR license to current year title sets from a press, with access to all earlier titles on JSTOR for active participants
- Tiered fee structure, making ebook access more equitable for institutions of all sizes worldwide
Path to Open
- Annual exclusive access to 300 new peer-reviewed monographs across the arts, humanities, and social sciences, and after three years, titles become open access
- Support for small and medium university presses and their authors, sustaining scholarly publishing and expanding global reach through our open access program
- Maximizes impact by joining 240+ libraries, increasing bibliodiversity, discoverability, and usage at scale through JSTOR’s trusted platform
Evidence-Based Acquisition (EBA)
- Unlimited access to 87,000+ 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 149,000+ 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/OASIS 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 158,000+ 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
Path to Open: Communications toolkit for publishers
Access ready-to-use messaging, social media assets, and outreach guidance to help university presses and scholarly publishers promote their participation in Path to Open and highlight their open access impact.
Path to Open: Communications toolkit for libraries
Access ready-to-use messaging, social media assets, and outreach resources to help your library promote its participation in Path to Open and highlight the impact of supporting sustainable open access models.
Publisher Collections: Communications toolkit for new publishers
A practical communications toolkit to help new Publisher Collections partners promote their participation, engage librarians, and amplify the reach and impact of their scholarly ebooks on JSTOR.
Explore the latest titles in JSTOR’s Path to Open program
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.
Syracuse University librarians, faculty, and publisher: Collaborating for tomorrow with Path to Open
This webinar featured Syracuse University speakers discussing how Path to Open supports authors, strengthens bibliodiversity, and expands global access to scholarship through a sustainable open-access model.
Publisher Collections: A community-driven model for scholarly ebooks
This Library Journal webinar featured the Big Ten Academic Alliance, UNC Press, Liverpool University Press, and JSTOR discussing how Publisher Collections supports sustainable, equitable access.
Explore the latest titles in JSTOR’s Path to Open program
Explore new Path to Open titles on JSTOR supporting teaching and research. View October 2025 releases and access options.
Building a flexible ebook strategy with JSTOR: Victoria University of Wellington’s success story
Discover how Victoria University of Wellington built a flexible, efficient ebook strategy with JSTOR, combining Evidence-Based and Demand-Driven Acquisition models to expand access, streamline workflows, and empower staff and students.
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.
Note: Items marked with * are required.
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.
Note: Items marked with * are required.
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.