Middle Tennessee State University Selects JSTOR Stewardship After Evaluating Seven Digital Collection Platforms

20 October 2026

What began as an effort to make historical materials available online led Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU) in the United States to reconsider how it manages its digital collections. After evaluating seven platforms, the University selected JSTOR Digital Stewardship Services to replace CONTENTdm, its existing digital collection management system.

The decision followed concerns raised by librarians and archivists who had encountered difficulties managing digital materials and making them easily accessible to researchers.

According to a case study published by JSTOR on 29 September 2026, the review gained momentum when Susan Martin, a Special Collections Librarian at MTSU's James E. Walker Library, began exploring how to digitise and share materials held by her department.

Martin sought guidance from Ken Middleton, the University's Digital Initiatives Librarian, who had been using CONTENTdm to manage existing digital collections. As she became familiar with the system, she questioned whether it could adequately support the department's plans to make its materials available online.

Similar concerns had emerged at the University's Albert Gore Research Center, where Head Archivist Andrew McMahan had been exploring alternative digital collection platforms. Staff at the Centre had experienced difficulties learning the existing system, while some archival materials remained accessible mainly to researchers who already knew where to find them.

These concerns brought together representatives from Walker Library, the Albert Gore Research Center and the University's Center for Popular Music to identify a system capable of meeting their different needs.

Rather than immediately purchasing a replacement, the team developed a set of requirements covering the uploading of digital materials, editing of descriptive information, technical compatibility and ease of use.

The University subsequently evaluated seven platforms, allowing at least 30 days to test each system. The process, which continued through much of 2025, enabled librarians and archivists to examine how the platforms handled photographs, documents, audiovisual materials and other resources.

Particular attention was given to how students and researchers would discover the collections.

For McMahan, one of the strongest advantages of JSTOR Stewardship was the possibility of bringing institutional archives into a research environment already used by scholars and students.

The University's librarians were also familiar with JSTOR through their teaching and research support activities, making the platform a practical option for introducing students to specialised collections.

The transition involves approximately 30 collections containing more than 10,000 digital items from Walker Library and the Albert Gore Research Center.

Working with JSTOR's migration specialists, the University has been reviewing its existing collections, organising descriptive records and determining how different materials should appear on the new platform.

The process includes preserving information about the departments responsible for individual collections, ensuring that researchers can identify the origins and context of materials they consult.

An early test involved the Albert Gore Research Center's Tennesseans and World War II collection, which enabled the teams to assess how historical photographs, documents and related information would be transferred.

The University's wider archival holdings include political papers, oral histories, historical photographs and audiovisual recordings, some of which are being considered for greater online access.

MTSU's experience presents useful lessons for academic libraries planning to develop or improve their digital repositories.

At Busitema University, similar considerations could guide decisions about how research publications, historical university records, photographs and other institutional materials are organised and preserved.

For librarians, the case demonstrates the value of involving different departments before selecting a digital collection management system. Working closely with ICT personnel, academic staff and researchers can help ensure that a platform meets both technical requirements and the needs of its users.

Students and researchers also stand to benefit when institutional collections are made easier to locate. Historical records and earlier research materials can provide valuable evidence for dissertations, academic publications and investigations into the development of institutions and communities.

The MTSU case further highlights the importance of testing digital systems with actual institutional materials before making long-term investments.

As the University continues its transition to JSTOR Stewardship, its experience illustrates how careful planning, collaboration and attention to researchers' needs can help libraries make better use of the collections they have spent years building and preserving.

 

Discover how Middle Tennessee State University evaluated seven digital collection platforms and worked with JSTOR to improve the management, preservation and accessibility of its institutional archives in the official JSTOR case study