The first 100 titles made openly available through JSTOR’s Path to Open program have recorded higher usage in five weeks of open access than during the entire year of licensed access in 2025, according to new program data.
According to JSTOR, the first 100 Path to Open books became openly available on January 6, 2026. As of February 11, the titles had received 20,036 item requests, surpassing the 15,178 item requests recorded during the full year of 2025, when access was limited to participating institutions. JSTOR noted that usage was forecast to increase by more than 300%, while year-to-date data shows growth exceeding 580%.
Path to Open was launched as a pilot in 2023 to address challenges in scholarly publishing related to expanding global access to peer-reviewed academic books while maintaining sustainability for university presses. The program uses a cost-sharing model supported by libraries. Publishers receive guaranteed funding from JSTOR for new monographs, libraries receive early access to frontlist scholarship, and titles ultimately become free to read worldwide.
The first 100 titles were published by 31 university presses across 29 disciplines. JSTOR stated the usage increase also reflects broader geographic and institutional reach. Readership expanded from six to 113 countries, and from 242 to more than 1,208 institutions after the titles became openly available.
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