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Fakenews: JSTOR supports scholarship in these difficult times

“JSTOR’s paywall is still alive, but it’s trying to score brownie points during a pandemic”, wrote Rachel John on March 21 at

https://theprint.in/opinion/pov/jstors-paywall-is-still-alive-but-its-trying-to-score-brownie-points-during-a-pandemic/385085/ 

I agree. Here are some facts, results of a test some days ago with different library accounts. My keyword was “Renaissance”.

From 520,936 matches (in Journals: 445, 626) only 4 % (19,307) are free for all. For comparison: MUSE makes today 29 K. from 67 K. “Renaissance” matches free for all, around 43 %.
https://archivalia.hypotheses.org/121737  

Only public health and COVID-19 related resources have been opened in JSTOR for the general public: https://about.jstor.org/covid19/

Only 365 K. from the 521 K. matches are available in the “Read Online” program. JSTOR has not increased the number of 6 free items during the crisis.

A German university library and some state libraries (Landesbibliotheken) have access to 475 K. “Renaissance” matches, one library (WLB Stuttgart) only to 434 K., one university and state library only to 471 K. This means that the maximum is 91 % of all JSTOR content.

US Highschool: 441 K., UK library 379 K. (= only 73 %).

It is true that JSTOR has expanded its offering to licensees. But the differences between them persist even now in the crisis.

In a just world, JSTOR would have to open its entire archive now!

7.4.2020: “To support researchers during this challenging time in which many are unable to get to physical libraries, we have expanded our free read-online access to 100 articles per month through June 30, 2020” (JSTOR)


OpenEdition schlägt Ihnen vor, diesen Beitrag wie folgt zu zitieren:
Klaus Graf (3. April 2020). Fakenews: JSTOR supports scholarship in these difficult times. Archivalia. Abgerufen am 16. März 2025 von https://doi.org/10.58079/cbit


Autor: Klaus Graf

Historiker und Archivar, Blogger

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