JSTOR Resources for Licensing Representatives

What we’re announcing:

• Universities and four-year colleges can now choose a new fee model option that provides immediate access to the JSTOR Archival Journals and Primary Sources Collection--a single collection containing all licensed journal and primary source content on JSTOR.
• We are eliminating the Archive Capital Fee (ACF) for all communities.

When we’re announcing it:
February 6, 2023

What you need to know:

Eliminating the Archive Capital Fee (ACF)

• This change is effective April 1, 2023 and timed with the newly adjusted fee structure.
• You may waive the ACF now for any new or existing quotes until the ACF is officially eliminated in April. If you need active archive quotes revised, please contact participation@jstor.org with a list of accounts and System ID #s. We can assist accordingly. There will be no refunds for orders already placed, in process, or paid with an ACF included.
  • The ACF elimination applies to all communities.
  • Why we are eliminating the ACF:
    • This fee was a founding principle established with the creation of JSTOR as a nonprofit service to ensure long-term preservation and access to content
    • Because of strong support from the education community for 25+ years, we reached a significant milestone with current ACF reserves sufficient to meet our preservation commitment
    • Eliminating ACF removes a barrier to participation for many institutions
• We will no longer offer overlap savings, and will not revise our individual collection fees with this change. We will offer accounts a discretionary savings if institutions request it. (This savings will need to follow an approval process, and we will track the amount of savings that our participants request.)
  • Why We Are Making This Change:

    • Impact: Pricing and process simplification. Calculating overlap savings is onerous in our systems, makes it impossible to quote an account outside of the system accurately, and creates defects, over-processing, and waiting waste in our quoting process.

Who is eligible for the new fee model:

• Universities and four-year colleges and for-profit academic institutions can opt-in the new model.
• Government and non-profit research institutions can opt-in to the new model.
• Public Libraries can opt-in to the new model.

What the new fee model single collection contains:
All JSTOR archival journal collections and primary sources collections (27 collections total).

Archive Journal Collections

• Arts & Sciences I-XV
• Business IV
• Hebrew Journals
• Ireland
• Life Sciences
• Public Health Journals
• Lives of Literature
• Security Studies
• Sustainability

Primary Source Collections

• 19th Century British Pamphlets
• World Heritage Sites: Africa
• Struggles for Freedom: Southern Africa
• Global Plants

New model benefits:

• Institutions gain immediate access to all licensed archival journals and primary source content on JSTOR.
• For current JSTOR participants, full access begins with your institution’s current total Annual Access Fees (AAF) plus a modest adjustment of 2%-5% that continues to be applied annually until you reach the full fee. (Please note: Starting January 1, 2024, full access begins with a minimum starting fee that is 20% of the full fee for the collection for those institutions with a current total AAF plus annual fee adjustment that is below the 20% minimum starting fee.)
• For new to JSTOR participants, full access begins with a minimum starting fee that is 20% of the full fee for the collection, and gradually increases 5% annually until you reach the full fee.
• The institution's current archive investment influences the annual fee adjustment.
• One time-payment (OTP) contributions for individual collections further reduce the full AAF for the collection.

The model is aligned to community feedback and our mission
We consulted our participants to validate whether the new fee model is the right approach. Our fee model aligns with their feedback and our mission by:

• Making the model optional and non-binding by providing an option for immediate comprehensive JSTOR access, as well as allowing for collection-by-collection licensing to continue.  
• Providing a “slow and steady” approach with institutions gradually increasing to the full fee, delivering only modest annual revenue increases to JSTOR to ensure we can support the costs of the services provided.
• Sustainable growth with greater impact. Our current collection-by-collection revenue model is based on renewals and adding new collections. This new model provides the same level of revenue, but with greater impact.

How the model works: current JSTOR participants

• Institutions opt-in to gain immediate access to a single collection of all JSTOR licensed journal and primary source content: JSTOR Archival Journals and Primary Sources Collection
• Starting fee is based on the current level of total archive participation in Annual Access Fees (AAF) plus a modest adjustment of 2%-5% that continues to be applied annually until you reach the full fee. The annual fee adjustment percentage is based on the number of collections an institution currently licenses to recognize current investment. (Please note: Starting January 1, 2024, the minimum starting fee is 20% of the full fee for the collection for those institutions with a current total AAF plus annual fee adjustment that is below the 20% minimum starting fee.)

• The annual fee adjustment stops when the institution reaches the full collection fee.
• Institutions eventually reach the same AAF for their respective classification, but the number of years to get there varies.

How the model works: new to JSTOR participants

• Institutions opt-in to gain immediate access to a single collection of all JSTOR licensed journal and primary source content: JSTOR Archival Journals and Primary Sources Collection
• Minimum starting fee for the Archival Journals and Primary Sources Collection is 20% of the full fee for the collection.
• Institutions gradually increase to the collection’s full fee via a 5% annual fee adjustment.
• The annual fee adjustment ends when the institution reaches the full collection fee.

Policies and Decisions

Key Resources

• New Fee Model Announcement
• New Fee Model Web Page