OPINION: A librarian's summary of, and response to, the Clarivate announcement - UKSG

"This change in direction cannot be viewed in isolation. More than anything, this ‘transformation’ – presented under the rhetoric of modernisation and AI-readiness – represents a troubling shift in the power dynamics between academic libraries and commercial providers, especially those who hold (near) monopolies. The lack of customer consultation before this announcement demonstrates how this pattern of market consolidation can lead to unilateral decision-making that disregards the needs of libraries.

Thus far, this announcement has raised serious concerns about collection development, budgetary planning, and general business continuity. The timing is particularly interesting, as it comes at a time of subscription cancellations and transformative agreement negotiations. While the library community demonstrates increasing resistance to journal subscription models, Clarivate attempts to force libraries into similar arrangements for book content. This move has not been well-received by library and information professionals across the globe.

Clarivate’s announcement, as stated above, raises a range of questions and concerns — especially regarding the stability and sustainability of library services, as well as challenges to the core missions of academic libraries. Some of these have been briefly outlined below, though these are unfortunately complete nor exhaustive.

The shift to subscription-only access creates a dynamic where libraries must maintain subscriptions to preserve access to core content...."