Alums may soon have access to the online journal database JSTOR, according to Steven Thompson, head of acquisitions and electronic resources for the Library. The University is looking to join a JSTOR pilot program that gives alums from affiliated institutions continued access to the database.
If approved, the University would join 19 other participating schools, including large public universities like Pennsylvania State, small liberal arts schools like Amherst College and fellow Ivy League institutions Columbia and Yale. The University's JSTOR subscription costs would increase by 10 percent, or about $6,000 each year. Thompson said the cost is "not prohibitive."
JSTOR is currently in the process of deciding whether to add more schools to the program, and if so, how many, Thompson said. "It is still a pilot program," he said. While JSTOR assesses what the effect of expansion would be on the service's use, demand on its servers and its pricing models, the program is likely to remain in the pilot phase, Thompson said.
JSTOR is also considering offering the service publicly as a product. The program's status should be decided sometime in November, Thompson said. Representatives from JSTOR declined to comment for this story.
Though no alums have requested to join the program to date, Thompson attributed the lack of demand to a lack of awareness.
The University currently offers several electronic resources to alums, including Academic Search, Business Source and Newspaper Source.