Project MUSE Book Products for School Libraries

Project MUSE offers access to thousands of books from more than 100 distinguished scholarly publishers in a wide range of subjects within the humanities and social sciences. MUSE offers several acquisition options to accommodate the different needs and budgets of individual schools and school systems. All books are DRM-free with unlimited simultaneous usage, downloading, and printing. Participating publishers select the titles they offer on the MUSE platform on an annual basis, and decide through which product models they will make their books available on MUSE. Download a list of all books currently available on the MUSE platform from our Holdings page.

Perpetual Access Purchase Collections

Several options are available for purchasing collections of MUSE books for perpetual access, including Annual Frontlist Collections, Custom Collections, and Special Books Sets.

Annual Frontlist Collections

Each year, Project MUSE offers a selection of frontlist collections that are available for advance purchase, providing access to the newest titles from our participating publishers. The Annual Frontlist Collections are typically available for pre-purchase by October of the year preceding the calendar year in which the books are published. When a library purchases an Annual Frontlist Collection, access is provided to the included titles as soon as the newly-published books are live on the MUSE platform. Annual Frontlist Collections are available for a wide variety of humanities and social science subjects, and also by area studies. A Complete Collection is also available, including every newly-released collection book on the platform for the year. (Note that publishers may designate some titles be excluded from collection sales.) Each book is assigned to only one subject collection and one area studies collection, so libraries may purchase more than one collection without concern for overlap.

Annual Frontlist Collections remain available for purchase for the duration of the calendar year during which the new books are being released. Libraries that purchase midyear immediately gain access to all books already on the platform in the selected collection, with the remaining titles being added as they publish and go live on MUSE. Purchase of a MUSE Annual Frontlist Collection conveys perpetual access rights and interlibrary loan permission for the included books.

Books Custom Collections

Project MUSE Books Custom Collections offer a flexible and cost-effective way to acquire books on the MUSE platform. A Custom Collection provides a library with ultimate choice to create a selection that meets both their needs and their budget. Design a collection the easy way by filtering our thousands of titles by subject, publisher, publication date, or price - or more closely curate a collection by making individual title selections. Discounts are available for selected custom collections. Purchase of a MUSE Books Custom Collection conveys perpetual access rights and interlibrary loan permission for the included books.

Special Books Sets

Project MUSE offers selected sets of books for purchase as a single collection at special prices. Currently available are:

  • Booker T. Washington Papers: Complete 14-volume set of the writings and correspondence of Booker T. Washington, the most influential African American in the United States during his lifetime. Includes a complete bibliography of his writings.
  • Dietrich Bonhoeffer Works: Definitive English translations of the German editions of the Dietrich Bonhoeffer Werke. This is a comprehensive and thoroughly annotated 17-volume series compiling the work of one of the most significant Protestant theologians of the Twentieth century.
  • Hermeneia: Hermeneia commentary series offers authoritative interpretation of the earliest texts of the biblical books. An initial 50-volume set is available; additinal newly-published titles may be purchased individually.
  • Karl Marx and Frederick Engels: Collected Works: Definitive English language edition, completed, and contans all the works of Marx and Engels, whether published during their lifetimes or since, including their complete correspondence and newly-discovered works.

Contact MUSE Sales for pricing for any of these special complete digital sets for your library.

Individual Books

Many books in the MUSE collections are also available for individual purchase, and MUSE publishers make available for single title purchase a number of books that are not included in any of the collections. MUSE partners with third parties to facilitate the purchasing of individual book titles, allowing libraries to acquire electronic books on MUSE through familiar, established channels. Publishers opt-in to participate in the single title sales program, select the books that will be available, and set the prices for single title purchasing. The purchase of individual books on MUSE conveys perpetual access and ILL rights, and also requires the Project MUSE Book Purchase Agreement.

Single title purchasing is currently available through GOBI Library Solutions from EBSCO and ProQuest OASIS. Specific title availability and pricing is accessible through these partners. Libraries are encouraged to contact their preferred vendor for more information on incorporating MUSE books in eApproval plans, receiving title notifications, and how to order individual titles. Direct ordering for individual book titles may be available to libraries that are not GOBI or OASIS customers, by contacting MUSE Sales.