JSTOR (digital library)

JSTOR is a digital library containing digitized versions of written works such as books and academic journal articles. Originally, the site only contained digital forms of academic journal back issues, but books and other primary sources were later added. Users can search within the JSTOR database, which contains millions of fully digitized journal articles, books, and primary sources; by the mid-2020s, JSTOR offered users access to over twelve million journal articles, books, images, and primary sources across seventy-five disciplines. While the site can only be fully accessed through a subscription, it also contains open access and public domain content at no charge.

Overview

The idea for JSTOR was first envisioned in 1994 by William G. Bowen, the president of the Andrew W. Melon Foundation and a former president of Princeton University. He wanted to help college and university libraries find new ways to store their ever-growing collection of published scholarship. By converting printed documents into digital format, libraries could store them in a centralized digital archive. This would free up more physical space in the library itself as well as reduce costs associated with collection storage. Bowen also believed that this idea would greatly improve access to peer-reviewed scholarly research. A pilot program was launched by the University of Michigan in 1995 and after its initial success, Bowen established JSTOR as an independent nonprofit organization. JSTOR merged with another nonprofit academic technology company called Ithaka Habors, Inc. in 2009, with Ithaka serving as JSTOR’s parent company and host service.

In its mission statement, JSTOR states that its intent is to collaborate with academic communities and libraries to make scholarly materials more accessible to students and faculty. JSTOR works to lower costs and increase shelf space in libraries, give independent researchers greater access to scholarship at little or no cost, and give publishers the opportunity to reach new audiences while preserving their works for future generations. JSTOR offers its contents to more than 1,500 institutions around the world. Its operations are funded by philanthropic donations and the fees it charges users for full content access. Alongside archiving and digital preservation, JSTOR also works to preserve the original print publications that it converts into digital format in the event that re-digitization is necessary. It also ensures that all its digital content is easily converted to newer digital formats that may be developed in the future.

JSTOR’s content is provided by more than nine hundred publishers, and its database contains more than nineteen hundred academic journals in more than seventy-five disciplines, amounting to more than twelve million works. Several JSTOR offshoot sites offer users a more specified dataset in which to search, such as JSTOR Plant Science and Books at JSTOR. In 2014, JSTOR launched an online magazine called JSTOR Daily to bring greater awareness to its featured content.

JSTOR is primarily licensed to academic and research institutions and public libraries. It is also available to museums and public schools. Students, staff, and alumni of academic institutions are granted access through their affiliated school. Individual subscriptions are only available to certain journal titles through their publishers. Independent researchers can register for an account on the site and receive access to free content. They can also sign up for a JPASS—a type of individual subscription that provides them with access to a journal collection known as the JPASS Collection, which consists of approximately 83 percent of the content available on the JSTOR website. In the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak, JSTOR made its entire database of journals and ebooks available to the public for free through the end of 2020 and offered other benefits through its Expanded Access program. This pandemic-related initiative ended in June 2023.

In 2024, JSTOR acquired all images and other resources from Artstor, a digital library of more than 2 million images from around the world. The cross-disciplinary collection includes images in art, architecture, social sciences, and the humanities.

Bibliography

“About JSTOR.” JSTOR, about.jstor.org/. Accessed 31 July 2025.

“About JSTOR Daily.” JSTOR Daily, daily.jstor.org/about/. Accessed 31 July 2025.

“5 Things You May Not Know About JSTOR.” JSTOR, about.jstor.org/5things/. Accessed 31 July 2025.

Meyer, Robinson. “You Can Now Pay for Access to JSTOR’s Trove of Scholarly Articles.” Atlantic, 25 Sept. 2013, www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2013/09/you-can-now-pay-for-access-to-jstor-s-trove-of-scholarly-articles/279998/. Accessed 10 Aug. 2020.

“Mission and History.” JSTOR, about.jstor.org/mission-history/. Accessed 31 July 2025.

Tan, Nicole. “10 Free Things to Do If You're Stuck Inside During Covid-19, from Audiobooks to NBA Games.” South China Morning Post, 20 July 2020, www.scmp.com/yp/discover/lifestyle/features/article/3093860/10-free-things-do-if-youre-stuck-inside-during-covid. Accessed 10 Aug. 2020.

“What’s in JSTOR?” JSTOR, about.jstor.org/whats-in-jstor/. Accessed 31 July 2025.