JSTOR to Make 300 More Scholarly Books Freely Accessible in January 2027
20 October 2026
JSTOR has announced plans to make 300 additional scholarly books freely accessible worldwide in January 2027, expanding opportunities for students, researchers and academic institutions to access research materials without subscription restrictions.
The books, drawn from the 2024 cohort of JSTOR's Path to Open initiative, cover a wide range of disciplines, including public health, environmental studies, migration, history, literature, politics and the social sciences.
In an announcement published on 6 October 2026, JSTOR explained that the upcoming release follows the first 100 Path to Open books, which became freely available worldwide in January 2026. Through the initiative, participating libraries help cover the costs of publishing scholarly books and receive early access to them. After a specified period, the books become freely accessible to everyone.
Among the titles scheduled to become openly accessible is Climate Justice and Public Health, published by the University of Massachusetts Press, which examines the relationship between environmental challenges, health and social well-being.
Other publications include A Watershed Moment, from the University of Utah Press, which explores water, science and sustainability, and Rewilding the Urban Frontier, published by the University of Nebraska Press, which examines ecological issues in urban environments.
The collection also includes research on migration, identity and cultural experiences, providing additional resources for scholars investigating social change and contemporary global challenges.
These subjects are relevant to research and teaching at Busitema University, particularly in fields such as environmental science, public health, education and development studies. Students preparing coursework, research proposals and dissertations will be able to consult the publications to strengthen literature reviews, examine different research approaches and identify gaps for further investigation.
The expansion follows encouraging results from JSTOR's first group of books released under the initiative.
According to JSTOR, the first 100 books recorded 256,642 item requests during their first six months of open access in 2026, compared with 26,038 requests during the earlier licensed-access period. This represented an increase of 886 per cent.
The number of institutions accessing the publications increased from 245 to 3,015, while their geographical reach expanded from 16 to 184 countries.
These findings demonstrate how removing access restrictions can help scholarly publications reach readers who might otherwise be unable to obtain them through their institutions.
The Path to Open initiative was developed to make scholarly books more widely available while helping academic publishers meet the costs of producing them. Through the initiative, participating libraries contribute towards the publication and distribution of selected academic books. The publications are initially available to participating institutions before becoming freely accessible worldwide after the licensed-access period.
At Busitema University, the forthcoming release could help students preparing dissertations and final-year research projects find additional literature without having to purchase individual books. Lecturers will also have more freely available publications to recommend for coursework, while librarians can introduce the collection during research training and information literacy sessions.
Importantly, once the books become openly accessible in January 2027, Busitema University students and researchers will be able to consult them through JSTOR regardless of whether the University participates in the Path to Open programme.
The expansion also offers researchers access to scholarship from different regions and academic perspectives, supporting comparative studies and interdisciplinary research.
With the next collection scheduled for release in January 2027, JSTOR's Path to Open initiative continues to demonstrate how collaboration between libraries and academic publishers can increase the availability of scholarly knowledge to readers worldwide.
Official source: Nearly 300 Books in Path to Open Will Become Open Access in 2027 — JSTOR
