As LJ previously reported, Clarivate—parent company of ProQuest and its Ebook Central platform—announced on February 18 the launch of a new subscription-based content access strategy for ebooks and digital collections. The company had originally intended to phase out library purchases of one-time perpetual licenses for e-content in 2025, with demand-driven acquisition programs and single-title purchase orders to be discontinued as of October 31.

The announcement, which took many librarians by surprise, was largely met with negative comments on social media. EBSCO Information Services announced the following day 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.”

On March 5, Clarivate issued an update acknowledging the need for community consultation and a new transition timeline, signed by CEO Matti Shem Tov and President, Academia and Government, Bar Veinstein. Because customers expressed that “the original communicated dates for the last orders would pose a considerable challenge,” the open letter stated, Clarivate will extend the ability to make perpetual purchases of print and ebooks on all platforms—including Ebook Central, OASIS, Rialto, and GOBI—through June 30, 2026.

In their update, Clarivate noted they have been “in conversations with librarians, Customer Advisory Boards, user groups, and partners” since the February 18 announcement and, based on their feedback, Clarivate confirmed its commitment to preserve perpetual access to previously purchased Ebook Central titles; to increase investment in Rialto, Clarivate’s subscription-based access strategy for academic libraries; to work with other vendors, such as EBSCO, to integrate with their book and purchasing platforms for maximum choice and efficiency; and to expand benchmark and collection development tools in Rialto.

In addition, Clarivate stated that it would facilitate title-by-title perpetual access purchasing through Rialto, create migration toolkits to help transition librarians’ workflows, and provide data and analytics, as well as regular updates.

Comments on Bluesky in response to the company’s update were no more positive than those reacting to the initial announcement. Several noted that extending the changes to 2026 will only postpone the issues involved.