JSTOR was founded on the idea that creating a reliable and comprehensive electronic archive of the back volumes of scholarly journals could both lower the long-term costs associated with the storage of journal collections and dramatically increase access to these journals. For JSTOR to be successful, however, the organization needed to rely on the willingness of publishers to let an outside entity digitize the back issues of their journals and create a model for distribution. In the early 1990s, this was uncharted territory. No one knew the impact electronic technologies might have on publishing or how libraries would respond to the idea of a digital archive. JSTOR's first participating publishers took a decided risk on this venture. Recognizing these publishers' early commitment to JSTOR's mission and their important role in the organization's success, JSTOR continues to build its relationships with publishers and seek new ways to help them maximize the value of their scholarly endeavors.

As trust has been built over time from publisher to publisher, many have enthusiastically chosen to expand their relationship with JSTOR. The University of Chicago Press, for example, initially included seven journals in JSTOR, but now has signed up a total of twenty journals in current and future JSTOR collections. In fact, JSTOR now contains approximately half of the journals published by The University of Chicago Press. Cambridge University Press has likewise extended its participation in JSTOR from one journal to nine.

Publisher trust has also led to a growing trend of reducing the "moving wall." The "moving wall," a fixed period of time ranging in most cases from two to five years that defines the gap between the most recently published issue of a journal and the date of the most recent issues available in JSTOR, was originally established to protect publishers from the possibility of lost revenue due to the availability of very recent issues in the archive. As publishers become more comfortable with JSTOR and recognize the value of participation to their constituents, some have decided to make even more issues of their journals available. For example, The American Economic Association has reduced the moving wall for all three of its journals in the JSTOR archive from five years to three.

Publishers are making this change for a number of reasons. Participation in JSTOR has not had the adverse impact on subscription revenue that publishers once feared and has, in some cases, even led to new subscriptions at libraries first exposed to the journal through JSTOR. Additionally, many publishers are continually looking to benefit the scholarly communities they serve and recognize that JSTOR can help. By reducing the moving wall, publishers are increasing the ease with which researchers can access their material. This was the case for the Population Association of America, which changed its moving wall from five years to two. According to Stephanie Dudley, Executive Director: "We felt that the five year lag was too long and that it inconvenienced members and researchers. Our publications committee, which made the recommendation, does not expect any impact on subscriptions or membership."

Another organization, the American Society of International Law, has eliminated its moving wall altogether. JSTOR digitizes each new issue of the American Journal of International Law (AJIL) soon after publication, allowing researchers to search seamlessly through the entire run of the journal. Explains Executive Vice President and Executive Director Charlotte Ku:

The organization decided to take this step, principally as an outreach effort, to introduce AJIL and international law to as wide an audience as possible. JSTOR seemed a good vehicle to achieve this goal because of its strong presence in the humanities and social sciences. We hope that the occasional reader who sees AJIL in JSTOR may eventually wish to subscribe.

Publishers who decide to alter the moving wall can see the result immediately, says Eileen Fenton, JSTOR's Director of Production. "We digitize content as it is published and made available to us. The content is already on our servers in a secure area and can easily be made publicly viewable should the publisher so desire."

JSTOR is also working with a number of publishers to provide additional services for their society membership via their Web sites. The Ecological Society of America (ESA) and the American Finance Association are two organizations at the forefront of this effort. Their members can now search full journal runs and identify material contained in JSTOR through the organizations' web sites. For the American Finance Association, the primary goal of linking with JSTOR is to provide a service to its members. According to David Pyle, the organization's Executive Secretary and Treasurer:

Our current issues appear on our site from a Blackwell server. When people look for current information and don't find what they want, they like to go deeper into the archive. Now, if someone puts in an entry that is beyond the moving wall, they automatically go to the article from JSTOR's server. It makes a lot of sense.

Explains JSTOR's Director of Publisher Relations, Heidi McGregor:

From a mission standpoint, it is important for a society to be able to replicate the run of its entire journal. At the same time, giving users an entry point where they can navigate from the first issue published through the most current is extremely valuable. By working together, JSTOR and publishers can build complete runs regardless of where those journals are housed electronically.

The number of JSTOR publishers has grown nearly tenfold to 148 in the last six years. As JSTOR grows, so do the possibilities for creating programs that provide significant publisher benefits. JSTOR is currently working with publishers on a number of new ideas, such as a collaboration to provide society members with access to a range of journals in their fields. As publishers begin to make current issues available electronically, JSTOR will archive this material that is "born digital." These efforts are in a pilot stage and reports on progress can be expected in the future.

Last updated on September 8, 2006