A library-friendly program with generous trigger policies

JSTOR’s Demand-Driven Acquisition (DDA) program offers access to a large set of titles for discovery and use, but your library only pays for those that reach a threshold of usage. This model allows libraries to align purchases to acquire ongoing access more closely with patron needs, and ensures that you’ll never pay for titles that go unused.

Title list (xlsx)

An outstanding value for libraries

In JSTOR’s DDA program, a title is triggered for acquisition when its usage reaches four for frontlist; eight for backlist item requests (for consortia, the threshold is customized based on the number of participating members). Usage of the frontmatter and backmatter doesn’t count toward the trigger threshold to ensure that only substantive use leads to an acquisition. In addition, all usage under the trigger threshold is free; there are no short-term loan costs.

We set our usage threshold for DDA triggers to ensure that the model is sustainable for both libraries and publishers. Our model guarantees that titles have already had significant usage when they are triggered for acquisition, and post-acquisition usage is high as well; in fact, ebooks acquired through our DDA program have an average of 7 item requests in the first year after acquisition, and 9 in the second year.

Workflow options to suit your library’s needs

Libraries can manage JSTOR DDA through EBSCO (GOBI Library Solutions), or through ProQuest, part of Clarivate (Rialto and OASIS) library suppliers. These services help libraries prevent duplication and content gaps across vendors and formats, and offer multi-vendor DDA workflows that update title pools based on each participant’s preferred platforms. Libraries can use the MARC records offered through EBSCO or ProQuest.

There is no upfront deposit required for JSTOR DDA through these vendors; the library can instead choose to be invoiced for triggered titles on a regular basis. Tiered savings are available to libraries.

Combining DDA and EBA

Many of our library participants want to offer a broad range of content while controlling costs. One option to consider is combining DDA with Evidence-Based Acquisition (EBA). EBA offers unlimited access to a large set of backlist titles for a predictable annual cost, and the library decides which titles to select for acquisition at the end of the access period.

EBA is managed directly through JSTOR, but you can easily combine it with Demand-Driven Acquisition if you manage DDA through EBSCO or ProQuest. We ensure that all titles in EBA are excluded from your DDA profile so they are not automatically triggered if they reach the usage threshold.