Our history
In 1994, the Internet was in its early days, and William G. Bowen—then president of the Mellon Foundation—conceived of JSTOR to solve a growing problem: university and college libraries were running out of space for expanding scholarly collections.
His idea was transformative: convert printed journals into digital form and store them in a shared online archive. This innovation helped reduce storage costs, free up physical space, and vastly improve access to research.
Decades later, JSTOR is a thriving nonprofit working with more than 14,000 libraries, museums, and publishers worldwide. Through our products and services, JSTOR has transformed access to scholarly materials—including journals, books, images and other primary sources—to reach more than 100 million users each year.
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What will the next 30 years bring?
Explore more about JSTOR’s evolution and impact.
Siena University joins JSTOR Digital Stewardship Services to strengthen digital preservation, access, and engagement
Siena University joins JSTOR Stewardship as a Tier 2 participant, migrating from CONTENTdm to unify digital asset management, long-term preservation via Portico, and discovery on JSTOR.
JSTOR Digital Stewardship Services training: Project administration
Training for Stewardship participants (Tiers 2-3): create/edit projects, map publishing targets, manage users, and access preservation. One of three sessions in a monthly Stewardship training series.
St. John Fisher University joins JSTOR Digital Stewardship Services to strengthen digital collections management and preservation
St. John Fisher University has joined JSTOR Digital Stewardship Services as a Tier 2 participant, strengthening the management, preservation, and discoverability of its distinctive digital collections.
New Tools for Stewardship: Q&A with JSTOR’s Roger Schonfeld
Library Journal features a Q&A with Roger Schonfeld on higher education, libraries, and the evolving role of organizations like JSTOR in supporting research and teaching.
How The Evergreen State College modernized digital stewardship with JSTOR
Facing growing preservation needs and limited staff capacity, Evergreen State College migrated from Omeka to JSTOR Digital Stewardship Services for sustainable, long-term stewardship.
A digital collections platform that’s accessible by design: How JSTOR Stewardship removes workflow barriers today
With updated ADA Title II requirements approaching, JSTOR is advancing accessibility across both its research platform and the tools stewards use to manage collections. Launched in April 2025, JSTOR Stewardship was built to align with current accessibility standards from the ground up.
Drew University expands participation in JSTOR Digital Stewardship Services by joining the Tier 3 charter program
Drew University joins the Tier 3 charter program for JSTOR Digital Stewardship Services, using JSTOR Seeklight to expand access and strengthen hands-on learnig
JSTOR Digital Stewardship Services training: Accessibility with JSTOR Seeklight
Webinar time is based in EST. Training for Stewardship Tier 3 participants: Generate text alternatives and transcripts with Seeklight, increase collections’ accessibility. Part of a quarterly Seeklight training series.
What’s new in JSTOR Stewardship: February 2026
The JSTOR Digital Stewardship Services community continues to grow, welcoming new institutions and expanding access to distinctive collections. This month’s update highlights recent participants, collection spotlights, and how JSTOR Seeklight supports AI-assisted, human-reviewed description and responsible digital stewardship.