What we talk about when we talk about access: getting JSTOR to the most people
Robert Wesson
Whether you're a JSTOR newbie or an old hand, it's important to understand the options available in terms of access. By access we mean how, on a technical level, your school allows students, faculty, staff, sentient AI posing as human, etc to get onto JSTOR and read the things you subscribe to. Here's a listing of all your options.
On-Campus Access
IP addresses:
If your institution has a physical location with dedicated IP addresses, then you will want to be sure to give us those IPs. This will ensure automatic access to any on-campus computers. Just email them to techsupport@jstor.org, and we'll get you set up.
- Please note that addresses of the type 10.*.*.*, 172.[16-31].*, and 192.168.*.* are reserved for internal networks and are not useful for authentication purposes.
- If your IP addresses change or you add any, please let us know as soon as possible so we can ensure you have seamless access.
- If you're having trouble with access, we will probably need to know your IP address. You can ask your IT team for a list of active IPs but telling us your current IP will also be really helpful. Just type "What is my IP?" into Google.
Remote Access
Referring URL:
A Referring URL is that thing when a user clicks a link to JSTOR from your library page. Their browser moves to the specified link and, when it requests the new page, it sends along the URL of the previous page. This "sent along" URL is called a referring URL and will get you access. It's not our preferred method because it's not super secure. You can see our technical requirements in the Librarian and Administrator section.
Proxies:
Proxy servers can be set up via IP address to allow users access to JSTOR. The proxy must require authentication to restrict it to authorized users only. Just provide us with your proxy server IP and we will add it to your account. If you are using EZProxy, you may want to review our recommended set-up.
OpenAthens:
If you are using the Single Sign On method, OpenAthens, we can help you configure it to allow access to JSTOR. Please email techsupport@jstor.org and include your Org ID in the request to get started. You can learn more about this method of access and how to configure it in the Librarian or Administrator section.
Shibboleth:
Shibboleth is another type of Single Sign On system that allows users to authenticate via their institutional credentials to access JSTOR. In order for JSTOR to enable access via Shibboleth, we have to belong to the federation that you belong to. Here is a list of federations we currently belong to:
DFN-AAI
InCommon
SWITCHaai
UK Access Management
OpenAthens
eduID.cz
SWITCHaai
Email techsupport@jstor.org with the following information to begin the setup process:
The name of the federation to which you belong
Your Shibboleth Identity Provider ID (entity ID), and
The list of campuses (if more than one) served by that ID
Remote Username and Password:
This method of access is only recommended for smaller institutions (secondary schools, small faculty departments or offices, herbariums, etc). A remote username and password will be generated upon request. Please send these requests to techsupport@jstor.org.
You can provide these login credentials in a secured space (one that is not open to the public) for your users. Users will then be able to go to the JSTOR login page and enter those credentials. After logging in on the left-hand, MyJSTOR side of the screen, they should see a Provider Designation Statement (PDS) that reflects their access is provided by your institution.
Once you have your access methods set up, you might consider asking our technical team to add your institution to our Institution Finder so students can easily log in if they come directly to the JSTOR website.
And that's everything.
If you have trouble with any of this, let us know.