Colgate University is expanding its participation in JSTOR Digital Stewardship Services by joining the Tier 3 charter program and migrating its digital collections from Islandora into JSTOR’s integrated platform.

This move builds on Colgate’s existing engagement with JSTOR’s services for digital collections, with the university already sharing over 2,500 items openly on JSTOR. Initial transition work will focus on high-value campus and regional history collections including photographs, student newspapers, alumni magazines, local and regional newspapers, and thematic collections such as the Alma Grace Stokey archive. 

By making JSTOR Stewardship the primary home for its digital collections, Colgate will gain a sustainable, centrally supported platform with integrated digital asset management, publishing to JSTOR, preservation via Portico, and AI-assisted collections processing with JSTOR Seeklight. Colgate plans to use JSTOR Seeklight to create draft metadata and transcripts for text‑ and image‑based materials at scale, with librarians and archivists reviewing and refining outputs before publication. As a charter participant, Colgate will also collaborate with JSTOR and peer institutions to help shape JSTOR Seeklight’s evolution and shared practices for responsible, AI-assisted stewardship. 

“With JSTOR Stewardship, we’re not only gaining an intuitive, modern platform for our collections, but also joining an initiative truly grounded in community partnership,” said Joshua Finnell, Associate University Librarian and Director of Research and Scholarly Initiatives at Colgate. “The fact that libraries are helping shape priorities and direction gives me confidence that community needs will stay at the center of the platform’s evolution.”

“The Colgate team has been inquisitive, engaged, and strategic throughout the decision-making process,” said Jess Clemons, Director of Business Development, JSTOR Stewardship. “Their commitment to thoughtful stewardship and collaborative development will strengthen both our charter community, and the tools we’re building together.”

Founded in 1819 and located in New York, Colgate University is consistently ranked as one of the top 25 liberal arts colleges in the country. Approximately 3,200 undergraduates study across its 57 majors, and the university is renowned for its rigorous core curriculum.

JSTOR Digital Stewardship Services is a seamless, cloud-hosted platform that unites digital asset management, long-term preservation, and expanded discovery pathways—including sharing on JSTOR—with the AI-assisted collections processing tools of JSTOR Seeklight.