Clarivate, the parent company of ProQuest and its Ebook Central platform, on February 18 announced the launch of a new subscription-based content access strategy for ebooks and digital collections. As part of the strategy, Clarivate will be phasing out the option for libraries to purchase one-time perpetual licenses for its ebooks and digital collections in 2025, including single-title purchases, upgrades, and evidence-based and demand-driven acquisitions. (Libraries currently using Ebook Central evidence-based acquisition will have their 2024 or 2025 programs honored until the end dates.) Demand-driven acquisition programs will be discontinued as of October 31, and that will also be the last day to place single-title ebook orders from Ebook Central, LibCentral, the OASIS marketplace, or publisher-direct platforms. In addition, the last day to order print books using OASIS or the Rialto marketplace will be August 31, and the company will be closing the OASIS marketplace on December 1. Additional information is available on a support page.

In an announcement, the company explained that its decision to move toward a subscription-only model was driven by the changing needs of libraries, as well as the shift toward artificial intelligence (AI)-driven discovery, which depends on access to broad, vetted content to deliver reliable outputs.

“We’re addressing libraries’ evolving needs by breaking down barriers and delivering seamless access to our curated content,” Bar Veinstein, president, academia and government at Clarivate, said. “Our goal is to make learning and research more accessible and affordable at a large scale, unlocking opportunities for every library, in every classroom, and at every research department. Through this transformative approach, we’re helping institutions connect end users with academic AI tools grounded in comprehensive curated content, reinforcing libraries’ essential role in upholding academic integrity and excellence.”

The new strategy also includes the immediate launch of two subscription solutions. ProQuest Ebooks, which includes over 700,000 ebooks across 10 disciplines, a new Ebook Central Reader app, and the addition of the new AI-powered Ebook Central Research Assistant. And ProQuest Digital Collections, which includes “over 160 million primary source items complemented by over 2,500 full-text scholarly journals, more than 24,000 video titles, and 15 million audio tracks…nine ProQuest One discipline solutions including Anthropology, Entertainment and Popular Culture, Global Studies and International Relations, History, Literature, Performing Arts, [and] Visual Arts and Design,” and the AI-powered ProQuest Research Assistant.

“From the introduction of Ebook subscriptions to index-based linking and discovery, creating cloud-based library management systems and academic AI research assistants, we have a proven history of pioneering and collaborating at the forefront of the industry,” Veinstein said. “We’re now embarking on a new era in how institutions and their users access and consume content. We are committed to working as closely as ever with libraries and publishers, providing the guidance and solutions needed to meet the evolving needs of the community.”

However, many librarians responded to the announcement negatively on Bluesky and the social media app formerly known as Twitter. “Our entire acquisitions strategy is being upended with this change,” one librarian wrote on Bluesky. “Fewer choices for content providers, fewer options for digital ownership, further erosion of the first sale doctrine, and monopolies are bad for libraries!!!”

Another wrote “Looks like Clarivate/ProQuest is about to lose a lot of money from me. Because I’ve been transitioning us back to prioritizing ownership of what we spend money on at this library. Not playing this game. A library that owns nothing isn’t fulfilling its mission.”

In response to Clarivate’s announcement, ProQuest competitor EBSCO Information Services yesterday issued an announcement stating that it would continue to offer content through a variety of licensing and purchase models, “including perpetual access to e-books, print book fulfillment, and flexible acquisition models like Evidence-Based Acquisition and Demand-Driven Acquisition.”

“EBSCO provides libraries with the resources and flexibility they need to best serve their patrons,” Jon Elwell, senior VP of books at EBSCO Information Services said in the announcement. “We understand that perpetual access, print collections, and adaptable acquisition models are critical components of a thriving library ecosystem. EBSCO has a long-standing commitment to these services, and we have no plans to discontinue them.”