by Barbara Coopey

Penn State users have unlimited access to JSTOR eBook titles thanks to a project funded by PALCI (Pennsylvania Academic Library Consortium, Inc. http://www.palci.org/).

JSTOR eBook content from 20,000 titles is discoverable in LionSearch and on the JSTOR platform via the A-Z database list. Users can also link to the econtent via a WorldCat ebook record of the JSTOR book. JSTOR exposes content from many university presses and both recent and older publications are available. The project will purchase eBooks through demand driven acquisitions (DDA). Titles purchased during the pilot will be perpetually available to our users.

The JSTOR pilot includes all 69 PALCI member libraries and will run until the allocated funds are depleted, which should be close to the end of Spring Semester 2015. If the pilot is deemed successful, the DDA project may be available again during Fall Semester 2015. The JSTOR pilot is an initiative by the PALCI Board of Directors and the PALCI eBooks Task Force. Bob Alan and Barbara Coopey are members of the PALCI eBook Task Force.

The goal of the JSTOR pilot and the concurrent PALCI ebrary eBook DDA project is to build a “collective collection” of eBook content that can be shared by participating member libraries. Unlike print books, and due to licensing restrictions, eBook content is difficult to share via interlibrary loan. Building a collective collection of eBooks will ensure future access to this content for member libraries.

For information about the project, visit http://www.palci.org/news/jstor-books-pilot-for-all-palci-members.html. For information on the PALCI ebrary eBook project, visit https://sites.psu.edu/librarynews/2014/02/21/palci-dda-demand-driven-acquisitions-ebook-project/ and https://sites.psu.edu/librarynews/2014/11/10/palci-ebook-project-a-unique-model/.