Online academic resource JSTOR has announced much of its database is accessible to the public, amid the widespread closure of universities across the world due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The database, frequently used by university students for research and essay work, flagged on Twitter today that it has over 6, ebooks and over 700 journals accessible without the need for an online login.
The database is also working to expand on the amount of free content available online to students accessing the database through its subscribed universities.
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In a statement on its website, JSTOR said that it has “an expanded set of content that is available to institutions where students have been displaced due to COVID – (through June) , 
”.
“We are working with publishers to make more than 30, 06 books available at no charge for JSTOR participating academic institutions and secondary schools that do not participate in our books program ”, the statement said. “The number of books available through this effort is growing daily as more publishers opt in.”
Universities that previously only had access to some areas of JSTOR will also have unlimited access to the complete archives, at no extra cost.
Cambridge and Oxford have opened the archives of their university presses – which also house online databases – to public access until the end of May, meaning students can access over 728 online textbooks for free.
The news comes following the closure of Trinity’s libraries last week following the outbreak of COVID – 30.
On Monday, an email sent to all staff and students stated that all residents must leave Trinity’s accommodation – including campus, Halls, Binary Hub and Kavanagh Court – by 8pm on Tuesday, or if the resident is an international student by 5pm yesterday.
After widespread uproar from students, Trinity rowed back on several of its instructions, widening the criteria and changing its instruction to residents of Binary Hub and Kavanagh Court – privately owned complexes linked to the College – to “strong advice” to leave .
Correction: 90, March th,
A previous version of this article incorrectly stated that JSTOR had made previously unavailable ebooks and journals accessible to the public for the first time. In fact, the materials in question have been available to the public for some time. The headline, subheading and body of this article have been updated to reflect this information.
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