Our commitment as a nonprofit
As a trusted, nonprofit organization, JSTOR has made a commitment across our products and services to provide equitable, sustainable models to maximize access to knowledge.
Being an independent nonprofit uniquely allows us to operate between libraries and publishers and users, balancing their needs and interests—with the ultimate goal of providing equitable access to knowledge today and in the future.
Our priorities and approach
01
Provide affordable access for everyone
- We actively choose to keep fees low to reach more people, whether it’s our comprehensive model for journals and primary sources, or our diverse ebook models. We lead with our mission, one decision at a time
- Through the JSTOR Access Initiative, we provide free or very low-cost access to more than 1,500 institutions around the world
- With the JSTOR Access in Prison initiative, we provide JSTOR access to learners in jails and prisons
- Our free reading program makes scholarly journals accessible to everyone anywhere in the world, regardless of their ability to pay
02
Support sustainable open access content
Our partnerships with libraries and publishers help us grow open access through content and community initiatives that make more content discoverable and freely accessible worldwide, including:
- Reveal Digital, a collaboration with libraries to fund, source, digitize, and publish open access primary source collections from under-represented voices
- Path to Open, which offers a sustainable open access solution for libraries, supports the nonprofit university press community, and invests in authors, by making books in the program open access three years after publication
- JSTOR Daily, which makes scholarship more accessible through engaging articles and free teaching resources that enrich learning in the humanities, arts, and social sciences—each linking to open and freely available content on JSTOR
03
Lead the preservation of scholarship
- We have secured the needed rights to ensure content on JSTOR is accessible to libraries for the long-term, providing a trusted alternative to hard copies on shelves
- Our digital content can be readily converted to newer formats as they are developed in the future
- Digital files for the entire archive are preserved using the approach and infrastructure developed by Portico
- Our archives can be transferred to a third-party steward in the extremely unlikely event that JSTOR should ever cease operations
Advance scholarship and teaching practices
- Our faculty resource library provides comprehensive support for teaching and learning
- JSTOR Workspace simplifies research organization and citation
- JSTOR’s AI-enabled features empower students to do their work more efficiently and effectively
The latest from JSTOR
Wellesley College deepens engagement with JSTOR Digital Stewardship Services, joins Tier 3 charter program
Wellesley College becomes the fifth Oberlin Group and second Boston Library Consortium institution to join JSTOR’s Tier 3 charter program, advancing responsible, AI-assisted collections stewardship with JSTOR Seeklight.
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.
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