LibGuides: JSTOR Resources for Licensing Representatives: Path to Open Books

What it is + value proposition

Path to Open is a community-supported model to publish high-quality ebooks sustainably and equitably

Benefitting publishers, libraries, authors, and researchers

Institutions can acquire Path to Open books on JSTOR for the first three years, after which the titles are released openly to the world. This provides a pathway for equitable access and impact for the entire scholarly community:

Readers worldwide gain access to valuable content
University presses can publish open access books sustainably
Librarians acquire affordable, high-quality frontlist titles
Authors reach a global audience

Join us on the path to open.

How it works: Libraries

Academic institutions pay an annual subscription fee to access a growing corpus of titles exclusively available on JSTOR. At the start of the third year following the publication date, titles will be converted to open access (OA).

30+ participating university presses contribute ebooks
150 libraries commit
100 titles published in fall 2023 (We will share a list of titles soon, and will add it to the key resources provided below.)
300+ new titles published annually over next first three years to reach 900+ titles through the duration of the pilot
Only participating libraries will provide institutional access to the titles during the first three years after publication
At the start of the third year following the publication date, titles will be converted to open access (OA)
The books will be available in print and e-consumer versions, not in any other library aggregation, to minimize acquisition workflow challenges and publication costs.
When books are converted to OA, they will be available to be published on any platform the university press selects, in addition to JSTOR.
We are recommending university presses select CC BY-NC 4.0 for books when converted to OA. However, publishers/authors can choose more or less strict licenses based on their preferences.

The library participation fee model

*Consortia pricing available upon request

Participants pay an annual subscription fee to access 300+ newly published titles from select university presses (prorated in the first year due to number of titles)
The annual subscription fee is tiered based on the academic institution's JSTOR classification
Academic institutions will lose access to the titles within the current three publication years if they do not pay the annual subscription fee

* All fees in USD.

Government & Nonprofit Classification	Museums Classification	Public Library Classification	Secondary Schools Classification	Higher Education Classification	Annual Fee (for 300 titles)	Savings From List Pricing Value	2023 Pricing (100 books)	2024 Pricing (300 books)	2025 Pricing (300 books)	2026 Pricing (300 books)	Full Pilot (2023-2026) Pricing (1,000 books)
Tier 1 GNP				Very Large	$15,000	72%	$5,000	$15,000	$15,000	$15,000	$50,000
Very Large GNP		Very Large Public Library		Large	$10,000	81%	$3,333	$10,000	$10,000	$10,000	$33,333
Large GNP	Very Large Museums			Medium	$7,500	86%	$2,500	$7,500	$7,500	$7,500	$25,000
Medium GNP	Large Museums	Large Public Library		Small	$5,000	90%	$1,667	$5,000	$5,000	$5,000	$16,667
Small GNP	Medium Museums	Medium Public Library		Very Small	$2,500	95%	$833	$2,500	$2,500	$2,500	$8,333
	Small Museums	Small Public Library	Secondary Schools Tier 1	Community College Large	$1,000	98%	$333	$1,000	$1,000	$1,000	$3,333
Very Small GNP	Very Small Museums	Very Small Public Library	Secondary Schools Tier 2	Community College Medium	$1,000	98%	$333	$1,000	$1,000	$1,000	$3,333
			Secondary Schools Tier 3	Community College Small	$1,000	98%	$333	$1,000	$1,000	$1,000	$3,333

How it works: Publishers

Academic institutions will pay an annual subscription fee to access a growing corpus of titles exclusively available on JSTOR.

100 titles will be published in 2023 (We will share a list of titles soon, and will add it to the key resources provided below.)
300+ new titles published annually over next first three years to reach 900+ titles through the duration of the pilot
15-30+ university presses will contribute ebooks
Only participating libraries will provide institutional access to the titles during the first three years after publication
At the start of the third year following the publication date, titles will be converted to open access (OA)
The books will be available in print and e-consumer versions, not in any other library aggregation, to minimize acquisition workflow challenges and publication costs
When books are converted to OA, they will be available to be published on any platform the university press selects, in addition to JSTOR
We are recommending university presses select CC BY-NC 4.0 for books when converted to OA. However, publishers/authors can choose more or less strict licenses based on their preferences

Marketing Roadmap

Key Resources

For Libraries

For Publishers