EBSCO is privately owned by the J.T. Stevenson family.

Breeding, Marshall. Project Reshare and OpenRS: differing approaches to open source resource sharing. December 2023. Library Technology Newsletter. In recent months, a schism has erupted in the open source resource sharing realm. Two open source resource sharing projects that previously resided within a single organization have separated, due not only to the differing functional models of their products, but also because of differences in styles of collaboration. Launched in 2018, Project ReShare has been advancing an open source platform for resource sharing, created collaboratively among a community of interested libraries and vendors. Project ReShare continues with its mission to strengthen its resource sharing community and to continue to enhance and support its platform. The organization is also refining its organizational structure and articulating its values and community processes. OpenRS, was launched in 2023 as a new initiative to develop, support, and promote a new open source direct consortial borrowing solution. Though a relatively new project, OpenRS moves forward with a well defined development agenda, backed by two commercial vendors, EBSCO Information Services and Knowledge Integration, with substantial involvement of MOBIUS as its first planned implementor.

. Introducing The Open Resource Sharing Coalition. August 23, 2023. . The Open Library Foundation introduced the Open Resource Sharing Coalition, a resource sharing initiative created in partnership with library consortia, open source developers, and vendors. OpenRS is a heterogeneous resource sharing system that is ILS and Discovery agnostic and accommodates the full spectrum of mediated and unmediated resource sharing. OpenRS acts upon a “consortia first” mentality, striving to provide libraries with the tools needed for robust and extended functionality for resource sharing. The software will provide a containerized code base configured for ease of deployment, maintenance, and upgrades. Libraries and consortia can choose to host the service locally or with a third party. The OpenRS software is built and maintained by Knowledge Integration, with support from EBSCO Information Services. Additional OpenRS Community members include representatives from the MOBIUS consortium, GALILEO/University System of Georgia, Marmot Library Network, Boston Library Consortium, Colorado Alliance of Research Libraries, and others.

Breeding, Marshall. GALILEO selects EBSCO FOLIO with support from EBSCO Information Services. April 2023. Library Technology Newsletter. Following an extensive procurement process, GALILEO has selected EBSCO FOLIOopens new tab and ReShare supported by EBSCO Information Servicesopens new tab for the shared system supporting the 26 institutions of the University System of Georgia and the Georgia Archives to replace its current Ex Libris Alma implementation. This announcement marks the only large-scale implementation of Alma to migrate to another platform. It further reinforces the momentum gained by EBSCO FOLIO in the last year, following its selection by the Library of Congress and the MOBIUS consortium.

Breeding, Marshall. EBSCO and Novelist use BIBFRAME to facilitate discoverability. May 2022. Library Technology Newsletter. NoveList, a division of EBSCO Information Servicesopens new tab, offers its Linked Library Service, leveraging linked data to enable multiple paths for making libraries and their collections more visible on the web. The Linked Library Service is based on technologies and linked data infrastructure developed and deployed by Zepheira, a company it acquired in 2020. The Linked Library Service is based on the Library.Link network that brings together a variety of linked data resources. Libraries that subscribe to the service export their collection as represented in MARC records, which are then transformed into BIBFRAME and merged into the network.

Breeding, Marshall. EBSCO Information Services Launches New Search Service. March 2022. Library Technology Newsletter. EBSCO launched a new search service designed as a starting point for research, emphasizing convenient access to open access materials. EBSCO Essentials is available to anyone regardless of affiliation. It provides a search tool for the general public that guides them to the full text of authoritative resources published as open access. The service also serves as a channel toward library-provided resources. Search results also list citations for resources restricted to subscribers. To gain access to these restricted resources, visitors can search for and connect through their library, using their library-assigned sign-in credentials.

. EBSCO Information Services acquires leading library and research web platform, Stacks Inc.. February 7, 2019. . EBSCO Information Services announced the acquisition of Stacks Inc., a leading library and research web platform. EBSCO partnered with the company in 2016 to release Stacks, a hosted content management system for libraries. This acquisition reinforces EBSCO’s commitment to providing library patrons with the best possible search experience and deep integration of resources.

Breeding, Marshall. EBSCO Supports New Open Source Project in Partnership with Kuali OLE. May 2016. Smart Libraries Newsletter. A new initiative has launched to create an open source library services platform for academic libraries. EBSCO Information Services conceived the project and will provide substantial funding. A community of developers comprising commercial and library organizations will create the software. Kuali OLE, previously working to create its own open source library resource management system, will make a transition to participate in this new initiative rather than complete its own software. Many details of the new project, including the nature of Kuali OLE's involvement, are not yet finalized. The resources currently lining up behind this initiative provide the potential for the rapid development generally consistent with the plans for Kuali OLE. Participants characterize this new project as not as a setback, but as an acceleration of the availability of an open source library services platform for academic libraries.

. EBSCO Publishing and EBSCO Information Services merge. May 22, 2013. . EBSCO Industries, Inc. announces the EBSCO Information Services and EBSCO Publishing businesses will merge on July 1, 2013 and will operate as a single business under the name EBSCO Information Services. Tim Collins, a 26-year EBSCO veteran and previously President of EBSCO Publishing, will serve as President of the combined entity.

Breeding, Marshall. EBSCO Discovery Service Extends Options through New Partnerships. August 2012. Smart Libraries Newsletter. In recent weeks, EBSCO has announced a number of partnerships that potentially extend the reach of EBSCO Discovery Service. This product has become well established as one of the major indexbased library resource discovery services, along with Summon from Serials Solutions, Primo and Primo Central from Ex Libris, and OCLC's WorldCat Local. These products compete vigorously to offer the broadest coverage of the resources in library collections, the strongest features for search and retrieval, and for the most flexibility and interoperability with other applications within a library's technical infrastructure.

Breeding, Marshall. EBSCO Releases EBSCO Discovery Service API. July 2012. Smart Libraries Newsletter. EBSCO Publishing has improved the extensibility and interoperability of its EBSCO Discovery Service (EDS) through the release of a new Application Programming Interface, or API, compatible with current technology practices and with popular discovery interfaces such as VuFind. This move brings EDS, which already competed well on the power of its search technology and the breadth of its index, into an even stronger position relative to other discovery services, such as Summon and Primo Central, which have previously released APIs.

. New EBSCO Discovery Service API makes it easier for libraries to create a custom discovery solution. June 5, 2012. . EBSCO Publishing continues its commitment to performance and stability with the release of EBSCO Discovery Service API, representing the new standard for comprehensive content and an array of intricate software features and functionality. EBSCO Discovery Service API enables libraries to use their own portals or website applications for a discovery user interface while making the most of their discovery solution by connecting researchers to the superior content and enhanced search features available from EBSCO Discovery Service.

Breeding, Marshall. EBSCO Consolidates its Platforms. March 2012. Smart Libraries Newsletter. EBSCO has announced that it will begin merging all of these services into the EBSCO Discovery Services. The consolidation of these tools will not only provide opportunities for more seamless behind-the-scenes integration of the linking and discovery environments, but it will also allow libraries to manage both product families through a single administrative tool.

View all featured content about EBSCO Information Services

April 15, 2025. Introducing Mathematics Source from EBSCO Information Services. EBSCO Information Services announces the release of Mathematics Source, a full-text resource offering current trends and relevant topics in the field of mathematics. The in-depth collection of mathematical sciences journals will appeal to students, researchers, educators and industry professionals, as well as anyone looking to deepen their understanding of mathematics and its applications across various fields.

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April 10, 2025. EBSCO Information Services Launches EBSCO Discovery: Open Education to Reduce Costs and Expand Student Access. EBSCO Information Services introduced EBSCO Discovery: Open Education, a powerful, centralized platform designed to streamline access to open-access e-books and journals and Open Educational Resources. Built to help institutions reduce textbook costs and support educational equity, this solution empowers libraries and faculty to easily incorporate high-quality, freely licensed materials into courses while sustainably managing expenses and workflows. Built on the enhanced EBSCO Discovery Service interface, it replaces Faculty Select as a more integrated and intuitive solution for centralized discovery of materials that will be free for students to access. Libraries can easily give their faculty a single place to search for and find content from top OER providers like OpenStax and Pressbooks and OA providers like DOAJ and JSTOR Open Community Collections, helping institutions meet evolving needs while saving students money.

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April 8, 2025. Golden Gate University Successfully Implements FOLIO with EBSCO's Support. The Golden Gate University Libraries have successfully implemented the FOLIO Library Services Platform using support from EBSCO Information Services. This marks the university's transition to an open-source library management system, enhancing the flexibility, choice, and innovation of its library services.

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April 4, 2025. EBSCO Clinical Decisions Dyna AI now available for DynaMedex individual subscribers. EBSCO Clinical Decisions announced the availability of Dyna AI for individual subscribers of DynaMedex. Leveraging generative artificial intelligence, Dyna AI delivers evidence-based information to clinicians at the point of care with unprecedented speed and accuracy, now accessible without an institutional subscription. Available on any device, Dyna AI ensures clinicians receive reliable and trusted answers whenever and wherever they need them. Initially launched in July 2024, the mobile capability was introduced in October 2024.

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April 3, 2025. EBSCO Information Services expands its Digital Archive Collection with the introduction of three new magazine Archives. EBSCO Information Services is expanding its digital magazine archive offerings with the unveiling of three archive databases: Southern Living Magazine Archive, Travel + Leisure Magazine Archive and Food & Wine Magazine Archive. With these new archives, libraries can enrich their special collections by adding digital backfiles from these three popular magazines. Similar to all of EBSCO's magazine archives, the new archives are available for a one-time purchase, enabling libraries to maintain long-term access to essential content.

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April 2, 2025. EBSCO Information Services unveils Business Searching Interface. EBSCO Information Services introduced the new innovative interface, Business Searching Interface, transforming business research into a more efficient, effective and comprehensive research experience. The interface offers a unique search experience with enhanced navigation, new features and an aesthetic appearance, leading researchers to better insights and decision-making. Designed to significantly enhance the search experience for business students, faculty and researchers, Business Searching Interface provides a clean, contemporary look with intuitive search capabilities, enabling users to concentrate on analyzing and utilizing the gathered information. The focus on usability ensures that users can efficiently access and utilize a wealth of resources, ultimately supporting their academic and professional endeavors.

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March 31, 2025. Five Factors Shaping Academic Literature Collections. Library Journal recently conducted an EBSCO-sponsored survey to gather data from academic librarians on the elements of creating a comprehensive literature collection for their faculty and students. Based on their feedback, we've created a list of the 5 most important factors shaping literature resources today.

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March 27, 2025. EBSCOlearning announces release of innovative demographic data research solution. EBSCOlearning, a division of EBSCO Information Services, has launched DemographicData from EBSCOlearning, a solution powered by Kalibrate. This innovative tool offers comprehensive demographic data and reliable market insights, enabling libraries to effectively support local businesses within their community and assist them in making informed decisions. The market analysis tools available in DemographicData from EBSCOlearning can assist community members who may be launching a business, analyzing local economic trends or conducting research. The customized geographic reports help identify target audiences, analyze market competitors, discover ideal locations and track market and traffic trends. This data is invaluable for local businesses as it provides insights into the community's characteristics, preferences, and behaviors, helping business owners make informed decisions and understand the population's needs.

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March 24, 2025. EBSCO Information Services launches newest artificial intelligence features. EBSCO Information Services is introducing two new artificial intelligence features, AI Insights and Natural Language Search. AI Insights generates a short list of key insights from full-text articles, while NLS improves the researcher's experience when using their natural language, enhancing context handling and overall search accuracy. These new capabilities are part of EBSCO's ongoing commitment to enhancing the researcher journey and user experience.

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March 14, 2025. The Journey to Sustainability: Daniel Cosío Villegas Library and the EBSCO Solar Grant. In a world where sustainability is a priority, libraries play a key role in adopting and promoting eco-friendly practices. The Daniel Cosío Villegas Library at the Colegio de México has taken a significant step in this direction by securing a grant from the EBSCO Solar program in 2024, which funds the installation of solar panels in libraries.

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View All EBSCO Information Services News Announcements

Feb 20, 2015 EBSCO acquires of YBP Library Services from Baker &Taylor.
EBSCO Information Services made a significant investment in the library workflow with the acquisition of YBP Library Services from Baker &Taylor. GOBI3 (Global Online Bibliographic Information) serves as YBP's primary tool for the discovery and acquisition of digital and print monographic content. Relied upon by academic, research and special libraries worldwide, GOBI provides access to more than 12 million titles, including more than one million digital titles from leading aggregators and publishers.

Jun 30, 2013 EBSCO Publishing and EBSCO Information Services consolidate into single company operating as EBSCO Information Services
EBSCO Information Services and EBSCO Publishing businesses will merge on July 1, 2013 and will operate as a single business under the name EBSCO Information Services. Tim Collins, previously President of EBSCO Publishing, will serve as President of the combined entity. Allen Powell, President of the subscription services division of EIS, will now report to Collins.

Jun 02, 2011 EBSCO Publishing acquires The H.W. Wilson Company
EBSCO Publishing and The H.W. Wilson Company have merged in what is being viewed by the companies as an ideal match. This combination of organizations will allow the strengths of each to benefit existing and forthcoming products and services. Libraries using products from either company will benefit as improvements are made to the respective resources. The Wilson controlled vocabularies will be integrated into EBSCO’s controlled vocabularies, resulting in improved subject indexing for EBSCO databases. The EBSCOhost platform will be enhanced to take advantage of this indexing in its search and relevancy ranking algorithms. All Wilson indexing, abstracts and full text will be fully searchable via EBSCO Discovery Service for subscribers of Wilson databases. The addition of Wilson’s robust abstract/index records and unique full text will strengthen EBSCO Discovery Service.

Mar 17, 2010 OCLC sells NetLibrary to EBSCO Publishing for $7,867,200
From the 2009/10 OCLC Annual Report: On March 17, 2010, OCLC sold the assets of the NetLibrary Division (including the NetLibrary platform, operations and infrastructure in Boulder, Colorado) and the rights to license a select number of vendor-owned databases previously sold on the OCLC FirstSearch service to EBSCO Publishing for $7,867,200 and assumption of related liabilities. The transition services agreement between OCLC and EBSCO Publishing ($230,000 annually for an initial term of three years) ensures that all NetLibrary eBooks have been placed in a dark archive at OCLC and OCLC will continue to make OCLC- MARC records available for download by the relevant library for NetLibrary eBooks as well as providing library holdings synchronization. OCLC recognized a gain on the sale of $21,666,500.

Mar 17, 2010 EBSCO Publishing acquires the NetLibrary Division from OCLC
OCLC and EBSCO Publishing signed an agreement whereby EBSCO will purchase the assets of the OCLC NetLibrary Division and the rights to license a select number of vendor-owned databases currently available through the OCLC FirstSearch service. The purchase includes the NetLibrary eBook and eAudiobook platform as well as operations and infrastructure in Boulder, Colorado.

May 30, 2008 EBSCO Information Services acquires Minerva Wissenschaftliche Buchhandlun from Springer-Verlag
EBSCO Information Services has acquired Minerva Wissenschaftliche Buchhandlun, of Vienna, Austria, from Springer-Verlag. Founded in 1909, Minerva has a well established tradition for providing exceptional service to libraries in the areas of serials management and monograph orders, complementing very well the EBSCO portfolio of products and services. Minerva is the leading subscription agency in Austria and Hungary and has business operations throughout Central and Eastern Europe.

Sep 24, 2003 EBSCO Publishing acquires Whitston Publishing Company
EBSCO Publishing announced the acquisition of Whitston Publishing Company, Inc., a well-respected publisher of reference works for academic and public libraries since 1969. Whitston's flagship database, the American Humanities Index has been available through the popular EBSCOhost online research service since January 2003.

Jan 24, 2003 EBSCO acquires operations of RoweCom Worldwide
RoweCom, Inc., doing business as RoweCom, Faxon or divine Information Services announced the signing of a non-binding letter of intent with EBSCO Industries, Inc., the global leader for the delivery of integrated information systems and services, for the proposed purchase of the RoweCom worldwide subscription agent business. The proposed transaction was also endorsed by the steering committee of the ad-hoc group of publishers and library customers of RoweCom. The committee, including the publisher members the American Institute of Physics, the Association of Learned & Professional Society Publishers, Elsevier, Oxford University Press and Wiley, will endeavor to expand the group of publishers supporting this transaction as they believe the contemplated agreement is a significant step forward for customers and publishers.

1999 EBSCO acquires NoveList from CARL
NoveList acquired by EBSCO. The company employed 5 personnel at the time.

1995 EBSCO Information Services formed
EBSCO Information Services (EIS) formed to provide libraries with one source for quality information-related services and products.

1986 EBSCO acquires Popular Magazine Review and Horizon Information Systems to form EBSCO Publishing
EBSCO Publishing got its start as a family business in Ipswich, MA that created summaries of magazine articles from the local library and published in a newsletter. The company was founded in 1984 as Popular Magazine Review by Gerald Seaman and Tim Collins, which had expanded considerably by the time it was acquired by EBSCO Industries in 1987 and renamed the product to Magazine Article Summaries. That year EBSCO Industries had also acquired Horizon Information Systems, a company founded in 1985 by Dan Tonkery to create search and retrieval software for databases distributed on CD-ROM, with Oliver Pesch leading the development process. These two companies were combined to form EBSCO Publishing.

1984 Popular Magazine Review founded by Gerald Seaman and Tim Collins
In 1984, Gerald Seaman and Tim Collins co-founded Popular Magazine Review. The firm's product was a print magazine index with article summaries

1958 EBSCO Industries, Inc. established
Operations were combined under EBSCO Industries, Inc., profit centers were established, and corporate headquarters moved to the center of Birmingham.

1944 Military Services Company founded by Elton B. Stephens and Alys Robinson Stephens
Elton B. Stephens and his wife, Alys Robinson Stephens, formed a partnership to sell magazines, personalized binders and racks to the U.S. Armed Forces under the name of Military Service Company.

2024 EBSCO Information Services Accomplishments Narrative

EBSCO Information Services (EBSCO) continues to focus on supporting an open environment for libraries and an equitable research experience for users by:

• Ensuring access to trustworthy and diverse information and delivering new experiences to users with a focus on equity in research.
• Creating new pathways to information and collection analysis with a focus on open linked data.
• Providing libraries with more choice of software applications to support and enhance librarian workflows with a focus on supporting an open infrastructure.
• Providing libraries with more choice in the procurement, deployment, and management of their library services platform with a focus on open source.

Major announcements this year:

• After 40 years in the library information services industry, EBSCO’s longtime CEO and Founder, Tim Collins, announced his retirement. David Walker, President and CEO of EBSCO Industries, named Annie Callanan as the company’s new CEO. Callanan brings two decades of experience in growing innovative businesses within the knowledge and information services sector.
• EBSCO launched and implemented a series of artificial intelligence (AI) beta programs to collaborate with customers and gather user feedback on the company’s AI initiatives. These programs include AI Insights and Natural Language Search, with more to come. AI Insights was released to a subset of customers, with a full launch date planned for 2025. Additionally, EBSCO introduced its responsible AI tenets, showcasing the company’s commitment to ethical research.

Key areas of focus:

Equity in research: We provide an equitable discovery experience by including content from many countries, in many languages, covering an array of topics and viewpoints. We are evolving our research platform interfaces to optimize how any user anywhere can access, search, choose and use information.

• Continued to roll out a new interface of EBSCO Discovery Service (EDS) and EBSCOhost. Our transition to the new user interface is nearly complete, with more than 85 percent of users successfully migrated.
• Released new and improved Explora research interface, a visual search experience including easy-to-browse topic categories, curated topic pages and “smart” search results to help users find, narrow down, and focus their searches and transitioned all School & Public Library databases over to the new Explora.
• Partnered with Elsevier to make journal articles and book chapters indexed from ClinicalKey available within EDS.
• Introduced databases including RIPM Jazz Periodicals: Music, History, and Culture, LitBase, Iter Bibliography, Inspec with Full Text and Petroleum Source to meet varying research needs.
• NoveList, a division of EBSCO, completed an in-depth update to appeal factors, a signature feature of its leading readers’ advisory service.
• EBSCOlearning, a division of EBSCO designed to improve workforce skills and productivity, announced several new initiatives and partnerships, including BlueCareer by EBSCOlearning, Harvard ManageMentor and Mindstone AI Skills Training from EBSCOlearning.

Open infrastructure: We work to ensure interoperability between applications and a suite of integrations in support of leading services and content for users. Our work includes developing our applications and services so libraries can integrate with third-party solutions such as ILL, ILS, authentication services, ordering platforms, learning management systems and more. Specifically:

• Launched Mosaic, by GOBI Library Solutions. This new book ordering platform, built in partnership with libraries and publishers, streamlines and modernizes the book acquisition process. Drawing on the strengths of GOBI and EBSCOhost Collection Manager (ECM), Mosaic delivers a new solution that offers a modern and accessible user interface for efficiency and ease of use.
• Utilization of linked data: We support the discoverability and portability of library resources on the Web and between systems.
• EBSCO launched their integration for Scopus Citation Counts, and moving into the new year we are planning to launch another series of Betas focused on linked data powered citation features such as Recommendations 2.0, Author Pages, and EBSCO Global Citation Network Citation Counts.
• FOLIO will introduce advanced linked data functionality and description this coming calendar year, enabling libraries to make their resources more discoverable on the open web and improving interoperability between systems and interfaces.

Open source: We support open-source software with a focus on interoperability, open standards, and choice for libraries. EBSCO contributes to the development of FOLIO and provides a full suite of FOLIO services with implementation/migration, training, hosting, and support to make open source accessible for any library.

• EBSCO FOLIO reached the milestone of supporting more than 200 libraries and library systems to the FOLIO Library Services Platform and EBSCO FOLIO ERM (which integrates print and electronic resource management) with implementation partners worldwide. Institutions include Columbia University, Texas State University and Virginia Military Institute. EBSCO experienced a remarkable 40 percent growth in contracts compared to the previous year, with even more anticipated in 2025.
• In addition to the continued involvement and support of the FOLIO community, EBSCO actively participates in open initiatives including the Open Library Foundation (OLF) and its recent resource-sharing initiative, the Open Resource Sharing Coalition (OpenRS). EBSCO implemented the project’s first consortial member, MOBIUS, in June 2024.
• EBSCOed, a division of EBSCO that expands the reach of the company’s solutions to bridge the gap between workforce and education, launched the LER.me platform, an openly accessible resource for students and job seekers to create, manage, and share self-sovereign, individual learning, and employment records (LERs).

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