Subscribe to Open for Libraries & Institutions

Project MUSE > Subscribe to Open > Libraries-Institutions

Project MUSE's Subscribe to Open (S2O) program provides libraries and institutions with an opportunity to support sustainable open access in scholarly publishing while maintaining access to a comprehensive collection of humanities and social sciences journals.

By continuing your subscription with Project MUSE through S2O, you contribute to the success of equitable open access opportunities, ensuring ongoing participation and access to essential research literature for your institution and supporting the broader academic community.

Subscribing to a MUSE journal collection with a Subscribe to Open model allows libraries to:

Subscribe to journal collections that support open access requirements and/or mandates
Align your library's purchasing with a shared mission: Project MUSE is a nonprofit organization working only with nonprofit publishers
Support equitable global open access to humanities and social services content

Subscribe to Open journals are represented in every collection that Project MUSE offers. See the list of participating journals publishers or download a full list of titles included in the 2025 S2O program.

Subscribing to a journal collection from MUSE is easy: the same product, same license, and same renewal process as you have in the past.

Subscribe to Open Content in Journal Collections

Explore the extensive journal collections on Project MUSE that feature Subscribe to Open journals.

Frequently Asked Questions for Librarians

To assist librarians in understanding the Subscribe to Open (S2O) model and how it benefits their institutions, we've compiled answers to the most frequently asked questions about its implementation and impact.

How do libraries participate in the MUSE S2O program?

Libraries will simply continue to renew their current collection subscriptions annually, and beginning in 2025, those subscriptions will support a portion of the participating titles in the collection in making all their current-year content open access. S2O does not require new investment from libraries – just continued support for a trusted, vital scholarly resource.

The titles participating in S2O will continue to be included in their current MUSE collection(s) along with conventional subscription journals. You participate in the MUSE S2O program simply by renewing your existing subscription, by the annual participation deadline.

Libraries not currently subscribing to one of Project MUSE’s Journal Collections may participate by purchasing a subscription to any MUSE journal collection. Subscribe to Open journals are represented in every collection that Project MUSE offers. Learn about MUSE Journal Collections in our For Librarians section.

Can libraries still subscribe to Project MUSE through their consortium or preferred subscription agent?

Subscribe to Open subscriptions will be handled via MUSE’s standard order and invoicing process. Libraries will be able to renew subscriptions, place new orders, or change their collection option annually via the same channels. MUSE’s relationships with library consortia, sales partners, and subscription agents worldwide have been crucial to our ability to reach and serve a large and diverse customer base. Libraries may continue to subscribe via the channel of their choice, and all of our existing consortium discounts and agent commissions will remain available.

Will Project MUSE offer new or different Journal Collections?

We will continue to offer the same suite of interdisciplinary and broadly discipline-specific collections that have been available for many years. Building our S2O program around these flagship collections means that libraries can support journals transitioning to open, simply by renewing their subscriptions to these trusted, essential resources. The titles included in the collections will not change – the titles from each collection that participate in the S2O program will simply make their new content OA if the program is successful.

Will pricing for Project MUSE Journal Collections change with S2O?

Our approach to collection pricing will not change. Libraries can expect to continue paying the same amount for their collection subscriptions under our S2O program. MUSE has always moderated annual price increases. Modest increases are necessary to cover platform innovation and compliance with evolving industry standards, the addition of carefully curated new content to the collections and increases in our operating costs. As a division of a nonprofit university press, Project MUSE invests any surplus back into improving our platform, sustaining our participating publishers, and supporting the ecosystem of academy-owned scholarly communications.

Will the license terms for gated content on MUSE change?

No. MUSE’s current, library-friendly license terms will continue to apply to all gated content in the journal collections, and libraries and consortia will not need to sign new licenses. If the sustainability threshold is under supported, new content will be gated and available only to subscribers. If the S2O program succeeds, new content from participating journals, published during the subscription term, will be open access upon publication. All older volumes/issues will remain gated and the existing license terms will apply.

What prevents a subscriber from waiting to see whether the content will be opened?

Delaying subscription renewal past the January 31 end date of the standard subscription grace period will result in loss of access to all content in the collection, both gated backfile and new content from any titles not participating in the S2O program. Subscribers that renew maintain uninterrupted access to all content. The new year’s content will only be opened to non-subscribers if the sustainability threshold is supported by the participation deadline. A library that delays participating will risk delayed access to new and backfile content or will lose access entirely if the program is not successful.

What happens if a library cancels its subscription?

Maintaining an annual MUSE subscription is the only way for a library to guarantee continued access to the current content and backfile content. An institution that cancels its MUSE Journal Collection subscription will lose access to both the current content and the backfile content. As the S2O program’s sustainability threshold requires very high participation by subscribers, the chances of being able to cancel and gain access via OA are quite small. Backfile content and nonparticipating publisher journals will remain gated even if the S2O program succeeds in opening the current year’s content from participating titles. A subscription is required to access all content from titles in the collection that are not participating in the S2O program.

When will details on the S2O program be available to subscribing libraries?

Early each year, MUSE will announce the details of our S2O program for the calendar year subscription term, including participating titles and publishers, and the deadline by which subscription commitments are needed to determine the success of the program. Renewal pricing for our MUSE Journal Collections will also be announced earlier in the year than usual, so that subscribing libraries and consortia will have ample time to consider their participation and make renewal commitments.

We don’t currently subscribe to MUSE - how can we participate in S2O?

An institution can participate in S2O by subscribing to any Project MUSE Journal Collection. Please see our For Librarians information or contact MUSE Sales.

Is library participation in the MUSE S2O program a donation?

No. An institution needs to subscribe to MUSE to guarantee that it has access to the MUSE current and backfile content. Therefore, participating in S2O is not a donation and should comply with procurement policies that forbid paying for free resources.

Does S2O require institutions to act collectively?

Subscribe to Open relies on subscribing institutions acting in their own local self-interest. It does not attempt to coordinate institutions to act collectively as a group. Given the size and diversity of the subscriber bases to the MUSE collections, collective coordination would be difficult and cost prohibitive.

As the name suggests, S2O represents an extension of the subscription model. In contrast to collective approaches that depend on voluntary contributions, S2O is predicated on MUSE subscribers acting in their local self-interest, without relying on institutional altruism or collective behavior.

Will COUNTER-compliant usage reports be available for library subscribers?

MUSE will continue to provide COUNTER-compliant statistics to library subscribers, including details on all usage of content that can be authenticated to their institution, whether open or gated. Users may discover and connect to open access content in a wide variety of ways and not all usage of OA content may be able to be affiliated to a specific institution. MUSE is also working with a number of initiatives dedicated to the collection and reporting of data on open access content use.

How will MUSE ensure discovery of content opened by S2O?

MUSE will continue to distribute robust metadata for our journal collections to all major library discovery partners. We will be meticulous in the creation and dissemination of metadata, for both the OA content and remaining gated content, to help libraries maintain good records and to ensure the most robust discovery of the open content, particularly by users in the wider community outside of subscribing institutions.

How will content opened by S2O be preserved long term?

Project MUSE participates in PORTICO’s E-Journal Preservation Service for the preservation of journal content on the MUSE platform. OA content is preserved in the same manner as gated content. Libraries may also utilize the LOCKSS (Lots of Copies Keep Stuff Safe) system for archiving any applicable content from Project MUSE.

What happens to OA content if the S2O program is under-supported for future subscription terms?

Current content opened via S2O is open in perpetuity and will never revert to being closed.

How does S2O support authors from my institution or my country?

Still have questions?

Get in touch with our team today.