Project MUSE is a unique collaboration between libraries and publishers, providing 100% full-text, affordable and user-friendly online access to a comprehensive selection of prestigious humanities and social sciences journals.  Project MUSE journals are heavily indexed and peer-reviewed, with critically acclaimed articles by the most respected scholars in their fields.  MUSE is also the sole source of complete, full-text versions of titles from many of the world's leading university presses and scholarly societies.  Currently, MUSE provides full-text access to current content from over 400 titles representing nearly 100 not-for-profit publishers.

The complete content of each and every journal issue is online - including all charts, graphs and images - with most articles available in both HTML and PDF.  There are no embargoes on journal content in MUSE - the MUSE issue typically appears online before the print version mails. To supplement current issues, MUSE subscribers also have free access to over a decade of backfiles for selected titles.

The MUSE subscription license was designed with librarians, for librarians.  The MUSE license allows unlimited access, interlibrary loan, content linking for e-reserves and includes remote users.  MUSE provides COUNTER-compliant statistics and libraries are not required to maintain print subscriptions to the journals in the MUSE collection. 

MUSE subscriptions enable libraries to enhance their collections with a variety of journals they may not otherwise have been able to acquire.  Project MUSE subscribers "own" MUSE content, even if they do not renew their subscription.

Journal Collections:

• Premium Collection ... MUSE's foremost collection of high quality, peer reviewed, interdisciplinary journals from leading university presses, not-for-profit publishers and prestigious scholarly societies.  All journals available on the MUSE platform are included in a subscription to the Premium Collection.  The Premium Collection is designed for institutions acquiring comprehensivley in the humanities and social sciences.  All new titles added each year to MUSE become part of the Premium Collection, making it the most comprehensive collection offered by MUSE.
   

• Standard Collection ... A subset of the Premium Collection, the Standard Collection is a relatively stable collection of journals offering controlled growth that is reflected in modest annual price increases.
   

• Basic Research Collection ... A more limited subset of the Premium Collection than the Standard Collection.  Titles added to this collection are chosen based on a number of criteria, including the journal's presence in appropriate high quality indexes, inclusion in archival collections, and current usage in MUSE.  The controlled number of journals, modest growth and modest price increases make the Basic Research Collection an appropriate collection for institutions with limited budgets.
   

• Basic College Collection ... The smallest interdisciplinary subset of the Premium Collection.  Titles added to this collection are chosen based on a number of criteria, including the journal's presence in appropriate high quality indexes, inclusion in archival collections, and current usage in MUSE.
   

• Humanities Collection ... A subset of the Premium Collection, the Humanities Collection is a collection for institutions acquiring extensively in the humanities.  This collection provides a highly relevant set of research journals for art schools, museums, performing arts organizations, film schools, and related institutions.  Of the new titles added to MUSE each year, the best of those with a clear humanities focus are added to the Humanities Collection.
   

• Social Sciences Collection ... A subset of the Premium Collection, the Social Sciences Collection is designed for institutions acquiring extensively in the social sciences.  Building on MUSE's strengths in international relations and in aspects of political science and economics, this collection is designed to meet the needs of special libraries such as thinktanks, government agencies, non-governmental organizations, research institutes, and related organizations.  Of the new titles added to MUSE each year, the best of those with a clear social science focus are added to the Social Sciences Collection.

Back Issues Program:

In 2008 the pilot phase of an initiative to add back issues to MUSE began with the addition of back issues of selected journals published by the Johns Hopkins University Press.  In several cases, the addition resulted in the complete run of a title being made available online.  Starting in July 2010 and continuing over the next three years, MUSE will be adding a significant number of back issues from other publishers.  Through a cost-sharing arrangement with the participating titles, MUSE is able to make the back issue content available without an increase in cost to subscribers.  Subscribing libraries will be able to access any available back issues for titles that are included in the collection to which the library subscribes.

Over the next four years, back issue content from over 60 titles will be made available in MUSE.

“Preserving and making available through Project MUSE the back issues of Hopkins-published journals is a critical strategic goal for the JHUP Journals Division,” states Bill Breichner, Journals Publisher for JHUP. “We are so very pleased that this initiative is moving forward. The project provides a very valuable service to both users and creators of the content. It also is an example of what can be accomplished when people work together with a shared vision.”

More Information on the Project MUSE Back Issues Program

Tools & Resources:

• Administrative Tools for linking and collection management

• COUNTER complaint usage statistics

• Subscribe to RSS feeds

• Sign up for Email Journal Alerts and e-Newsletter

• Search Plug-in for your browser

• Bookmarking & Sharing

• Guides for Using MUSE including training and promotions materials
   

View New Features Now Available in Project MUSE

Visit the Project MUSE website at
http://muse.jhu.edu