# Anyone know if it is possible to access JSTOR & Project Muse from abroad? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 13, 2006, 5:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-know-if-it-is-possible-to-access-jstor-project-muse-from-abroad/383935 "2006-12-13T05:43:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Alien](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/57b2e6/32.png) [@Alien](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alien)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2006, 5:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-know-if-it-is-possible-to-access-jstor-project-muse-from-abroad/383935/1 "2006-12-13T05:43:24Z")
I would like to have access to the journals at JSTOR and Project Muse, but, it appears to be difficult. Does anyone know if there’s a society I can join to get access to one or both of them? ---
**Author:** ![cckerberos](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f0a364/32.png) [@cckerberos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cckerberos)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2006, 7:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-know-if-it-is-possible-to-access-jstor-project-muse-from-abroad/383935/2 "2006-12-13T07:12:00Z")
Some universities have “Friends of the Library” type groups that allow members access to the library’s resources. You might look around and see if any of you local schools have such groups. ---
**Author:** ![Alien](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/57b2e6/32.png) [@Alien](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alien)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2006, 8:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-know-if-it-is-possible-to-access-jstor-project-muse-from-abroad/383935/3 "2006-12-13T08:54:18Z")
The nearest access point for JSTOR is 150 miles away, and I’m not even sure non-students are allowed access. There are no libraries subscribing to MUSE in my country as far as I know. According to JSTOR I can get home access “through an individual account with a participating publisher”, the challenge is finding one who is not too expensive and is offering access to the full database. ---
**Author:** ![capybara](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/capybara/32/202_2.png) [@capybara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/capybara)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2006, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-know-if-it-is-possible-to-access-jstor-project-muse-from-abroad/383935/4 "2006-12-13T16:28:37Z")
Perhaps if you can get a ‘community user’ access at the university you can access their reserouces via a VPN or proxy server. While in Belgium I was able to have University of California-linked sites behave as if I were in the library. ---
**Author:** ![DaphneBlack](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/daphneblack/32/5389_2.png) [@DaphneBlack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DaphneBlack)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2006, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-know-if-it-is-possible-to-access-jstor-project-muse-from-abroad/383935/5 "2006-12-13T17:14:38Z")
UK universities offer off-site access with an ‘Athens’ account - maybe Scandanavian universities have something similar. You sign up for ‘Athens’, and it gives you a universal log-in to various subscription-only sites through your university account. An IT officer or librarian at your university should know if something analogous is available where you are. ---
**Author:** ![OldGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/3bc359/32.png) [@OldGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OldGuy)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2006, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-know-if-it-is-possible-to-access-jstor-project-muse-from-abroad/383935/6 "2006-12-13T21:42:17Z")
Might you be able to run a VPN (virtual private network) program so that it appears to Jstore you are at a university that subscribes to Jstore. You’d have to get the VPN from the university of course. I do this all the time, thought I’ve not tried it from overseas. ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2006, 2:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-know-if-it-is-possible-to-access-jstor-project-muse-from-abroad/383935/7 "2006-12-14T02:26:15Z")
[QUOTE=OldGuy] Might you be able to run a VPN (virtual private network) program so that it appears to Jstore you are at a university that subscribes to Jstore. You’d have to get the VPN from the university of course. I do this all the time, thought I’ve not tried it from overseas. [/QUOTE] Good idea, although if the OP could get a VPN account from the university, he probably wouldn’t be in this jam in the first place. A VPN is how i get access to JStor and Project Muse (and dozens of other databases) from my house. The university provides the client, and i use my university login and password to connect to the system. I know people that log into the system from overseas, so the international thing does seem to work, at least at my school. ---
**Author:** ![Alien](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/57b2e6/32.png) [@Alien](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alien)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2006, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-know-if-it-is-possible-to-access-jstor-project-muse-from-abroad/383935/8 "2006-12-14T20:03:54Z")
Thanks for all the replies! I will make some calls to find out if one of our universities or libraries is offering VPN access. Universities do not have anything similar to Athens yet, unfortunately. For all I know, I might end up taking a few courses! 🙂