On 18 February, Clarivate/ProQuest, the vendor behind the platform Ebook Central announced their new ‘transformative subscription-based access strategy’, which ends the sale of single ebooks with perpetual access by 30/06/2026. Their offer will be reduced to ebook packages available for subscription only which makes it impossible for libraries to build up permanent collections.
Providing long-term access to content is a fundamental mission of libraries and a core value shared among the member libraries of Consortium Luxembourg. With tight budgets, libraries need the ability to curate sustainable collections that match the specific needs of their users, rather than subscribing to generic packages.
For the past 10 years, Consortium Luxembourg has purchased ebooks via Ebook Central through various licensing models. Our members’ libraries have always appreciated the flexibility and ease of purchasing single ebooks through one platform. The variety of acquisition models enabled Consortium Luxembourg to offer the largest ebook collection in Luxembourg on one platform with over 300.000 titles.
Consortium Luxembourg decided to significantly reduce the investment in ebook purchases on Ebook Central. While all historic purchases will remain accessible on the platform, the current catalogue on Ebook Central will shrink over the coming months.
Instead, the Consortium will focus on acquiring ebooks directly from publishers or other distributors to continue offering access to the most extensive and valuable collection possible through different acquisition models respecting library biodiversity and user needs.
Discover all our ebooks on a-z.lu.
Consortium Luxembourg
Claude D. Conter – Director National Library of Luxembourg
Marie-Pierre Pausch – Director Luxembourg Learning Center, University of Luxembourg
Pascale Degiorgi – Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology (LIST)
Regina Sinner – Luxembourg Institute of Health (LIH)
