Publicado por JSTOR
https://about.jstor.org/news/first-100-path-to-open-books-now-available-open-access-worldwide-on-jstor/
Path to Open se puso en marcha para abordar un reto persistente en el ámbito de la publicación académica: cómo ampliar el acceso global a los libros académicos revisados por pares y garantizar al mismo tiempo la sostenibilidad a largo plazo de las editoriales universitarias. A través de un modelo de reparto de costes respaldado por las bibliotecas, las editoriales reciben financiación garantizada de JSTOR para nuevas monografías, las bibliotecas obtienen acceso anticipado a las publicaciones académicas más recientes y, en última instancia, los títulos pasan a ser de libre acceso para cualquier persona en cualquier lugar, lo que aumenta el impacto de la labor académica de los autores. Este hito marca el comienzo de la realización de esa visión fundacional.
Los títulos recién publicados abarcan una amplia gama de disciplinas de las humanidades y las ciencias sociales y han sido editados por editoriales de todos los tamaños, lo que subraya el compromiso del programa con la bibliodiversidad y la amplia participación en todo el ecosistema editorial académico.
El programa fue concebido y creado en colaboración con líderes de editoriales universitarias y el American Council of Learned Societies (ACLS), y sigue estando guiado por Path to Open Community Advisory Committee de bibliotecarios, editores y académicos.
Los propios libros ilustran lo que este acceso ampliado significa para los académicos, profesores y estudiantes. Los primeros 100 títulos abiertos incluyen investigaciones sobre salud pública, religión, educación, comunicaciones, literatura, estudios cinematográficos e historia global, y muchos de ellos abordan temas, regiones y comunidades que tienen una cobertura académica limitada. Todos los títulos fueron publicados por editoriales universitarias y se sometieron a una rigurosa revisión por pares y a un riguroso proceso de desarrollo editorial.
En la actualidad, más de 250 bibliotecas y casi 50 editoriales participan en Path to Open, lo que demuestra su viabilidad como modelo financiero sostenible y continuo para la publicación de libros de acceso abierto.
A finales de esta primavera, el Comité Asesor de la Comunidad Path to Open compartirá información actualizada sobre los próximos pasos de la iniciativa, incluyendo cómo los comentarios de la comunidad ayudarán a definir su dirección futura. Mientras tanto, se invita a las bibliotecas a seguir uniéndose al programa para ayudar a dar forma a la siguiente fase de este modelo en evolución y beneficiarse de ella.
Más información en:
https://about.jstor.org/news/first-100-path-to-open-books-now-available-open-access-worldwide-on-jstor/
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January 12, 2026
JSTOR, part of the nonprofit ITHAKA, today announced a major milestone for open scholarship: the first 100 books published through Path to Open are now openly available to readers around the world. Originally released in 2023 with early access for Path to Open participating libraries, these titles have officially “flipped” to open access, marking the first cohort to complete the program’s three-year pathway to openness.
Path to Open was launched to address a persistent challenge in scholarly publishing—how to expand global access to peer-reviewed academic books while ensuring long-term sustainability for university presses. Through a cost-sharing model supported by libraries, publishers receive guaranteed funding from JSTOR for new monographs, libraries gain early access to frontlist scholarship, and titles ultimately become free to read for anyone, anywhere increasing the impact of authors’ scholarship. This milestone marks the beginning of the realization of that founding vision.
“Path to Open was built to balance sustainability for publishers, opportunity for authors, and affordability for libraries,” said Kevin Guthrie, President of ITHAKA and Manager Director for JSTOR. “Seeing the first 100 titles become openly available shows that a community-driven model can deliver on all three at scale while expanding global access to high-quality scholarship”
The newly open titles span a wide range of disciplines across the humanities and social sciences and were published by presses of all sizes, underscoring the program’s commitment to bibliodiversity and broad participation across the scholarly publishing ecosystem.
Their release also highlights the important additional impact open access books have through increased discovery and use. Across JSTOR, open access books currently make up about 10% of available titles, yet they account for 45% of all book usage on the platform. JSTOR anticipates usage of the first 100 Path to Open titles will increase by more than 300% after becoming open access, as they become discoverable to readers at thousands of institutions worldwide and beyond the academy.
The program was conceived by and built in collaboration with university press leaders and the American Council of Learned Societies (ACLS), and continues to be guided by a Path to Open Community Advisory Committee of librarians, publishers, and scholars.
“ACLS’s support for Path to Open reflects our mission to strengthen the creation and circulation of humanistic scholarship,” said Sarah McKee, Project Manager, Amplifying Humanistic Scholarship at ACLS. “This milestone shows how collective action can create a more equitable and durable open access ecosystem for scholarly books.”
The books themselves illustrate what this expanded access means for scholars, instructors, and students. The first 100 open titles include research on public health, religion, education, communications, literature, film studies, and global history, with many addressing topics, regions, and communities that have limited existing scholarly coverage. All titles were published by university presses and underwent rigorous peer review and editorial development.
Several of these books have already been recognized for their scholarly contribution, including award-winning titles that are now freely available for course adoption, citation, and research use worldwide. As these works become open to everyone, they will reach new audiences, travel more easily into classrooms, and support scholarship across institutions regardless of budget.
Today, more than 250 libraries and nearly 50 publishers participate in Path to Open, demonstrating its viability as a financially sustainable, ongoing model for open access book publishing.
Later this spring, the Path to Open Community Advisory Committee will share updates on next steps for the initiative, including how community feedback will help inform its future direction. In the meantime, libraries are invited to continue joining the program to help shape—and benefit from—the next phase of this evolving model.
For a deeper look at the origins of Path to Open, the newly open titles, and what this milestone means for participating publishers and libraries, read the article “Celebrating 100 Path to Open books becoming open access” by John Lenahan, Vice President of Published Content at JSTOR.
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