The Environment, Sustainability, and AI

Brandi Scardilli: Why is continuing to offer the Solar Grant important to EBSCO? What makes EBSCO optimistic about this important contribution to the climate change conversation?

EBSCO: EBSCO’s commitment to sustainability is deeply rooted in our values and operations. Continuing the Solar program reflects our belief that libraries, which are centers of learning, community, and innovation, are uniquely positioned to lead by example in the transition to renewable energy. By funding solar installations, we help libraries reduce their energy costs and environmental footprint, while also empowering them to educate their communities about the power of sustainability.

Since its inception in 2016, the EBSCO Solar Grant has awarded more than $3 million to libraries worldwide. These grants have supported a wide range of projects, from rooftop solar arrays to solar flower gardens, demonstrating the versatility and impact of solar energy in diverse settings.

We’re optimistic because we’ve seen firsthand how the grant catalyzes meaningful change. Libraries that receive the grant often become local sustainability champions, sparking conversations about climate resilience and environmental stewardship in their communities.

Internally, EBSCO has installed more than 500 solar panels to offset its own energy use, reinforcing our belief that clean energy is not only feasible but essential. By continuing to invest in solar-powered solutions, we’re helping libraries, and the communities they serve, take tangible steps toward a more sustainable future. 

Scardilli: In what other ways is EBSCO contributing to sustainability efforts in the information industry?  

EBSCO: EBSCO’s commitment to sustainability extends beyond our flagship Solar Grant program. As a company rooted in the information industry, we believe that long-term success goes hand in hand with environmental stewardship. Several key companywide programs aid in our green efforts, including:

• Solar energy adoption—EBSCO has installed multiple solar arrays on its Ipswich campus (headquarters).
• Green building practices—Our Birmingham campus incorporates sustainable design principles.
• Carbon neutrality commitment—EBSCO is actively working toward net-zero emissions, with greenhouse gas reporting already underway in the U.K. and global operations following suit.
• GreenFILE database—Offered free to the public, GreenFILE helps users explore the human impact on the environment through curated research and articles.
• Waste reduction and donation programs: Across offices, EBSCO runs extensive recycling, donation, and energy-saving initiatives. 

Scardilli: Why did EBSCO develop its AI Tenets? Who was involved in creating them?

Ashleigh Faith, director of AI and semantic innovation: EBSCO believes in the power of responsible AI in achieving success for the research community. We developed our AI Tenets to help guide EBSCO staffers on what responsible AI looks like, as well as communicating the promise of responsible AI to our customers. These were created in collaboration with EBSCO publishing partners and customers, as well as consulting with industry leaders on AI Ethics, Security and Responsible AI tactics.

Scardilli: What kind of response is EBSCO seeing from customers of its AI Insights and Natural Language Search?

Faith: We have been thrilled to see the adoption of AI Insights and Natural Language Search. Our userbase for these features is growing exponentially, and we are working on integrating user feedback to enhance these features even more.

AI Insights is helping students transition from more colloquial reading habits to more academic reading, aiding students who need assistance in learning the lingo of their new research area or translating English abstracts to their native language, and most importantly, helping researchers make informed decisions quicker so they focus on the information that is the most pertinent to their research, making for a more satisfying search experience.

Natural Language Search specifically has gained wider adoption due to its ability to help bridge the gap between Google-like search and more robust advanced search functions in an academic setting, further enhancing the satisfaction of their research journey.

Scardilli: What can EBSCO share about the AI literature reviews it will be launching?

Faith: We quickly realized what a time sink it was for researchers who spend hundreds of hours on locating, comparing, and writing their literature reviews. We anticipate our new literature review grid will help make the identification and analysis of literature more efficient for researchers who need to build their foundational knowledge on their research topic, while also needing to explore the research itself in a more economic and seamless way. More to come on this one, but everyone we have been talking to in the market seems excited.

Scardilli: What is EBSCO’s response to the toll AI takes on the environment? EBSCO, like most companies in the library space, is experimenting with AI. Is anything being discussed when it comes to this impact, such as AI’s water consumption for its data centers?

Faith: We believe in responsible AI, which also includes taking care of the planet as we innovate for our users. In addition to the existing EBSCO environmental approaches, we are only using AI where it makes the most sense in benefiting researchers, and we always test alternative measures before landing on AI as a solution.

We closely monitor the effects our AI has and can report that our use of AI currently is the same environmental consumption as a traditional search or abstract creation. AI Insights, for instance, only generates an Insight when a user selects that function. As with all our AI features, these are opt-in and not opt-out so customers and users can decide which AI function they wish to apply to their research workflows. We are constantly brainstorming new approaches to more sustainable AI. As we progress in our AI journey, we will continue to communicate to the market which approaches we are using.

Library Access: Open Source, Open Education, and Affordability

Scardilli: FOLIO news in EBSCO’s news center has been quiet this year in terms of new iterations and features. But it’s continuing to gain partners. What can you share about what’s next for FOLIO? 

EBSCO: While we can’t speak on behalf of the global FOLIO community, from EBSCO’s perspective, this year has been anything but quiet in terms of new software released and major implementations delivered. Now that FOLIO is a more mature platform, the community has shifted from frequent feature releases to fewer, more substantial updates each year. The focus has been on strengthening scalability and stability to support larger, more complex implementations as adoption accelerates worldwide. 

EBSCO participates as part of the larger FOLIO community, contributing resources, hosting expertise and development support to help advance community-led priorities. Recent efforts include MARIGOLD, a linked data editor, and other enhancements delivered in the Trillium release. Trillium also marks the full adoption of the new Eureka architecture to support enterprise-scale operations, and EBSCO is supporting this transition through investments in workflow improvements, integrations, and performance enhancements.

Through FOLIO, we’re helping libraries of all sizes implement and scale FOLIO with robust hosting, services, and support. With more than 280 libraries currently using FOLIO, we remain focused on ensuring the platform is flexible, sustainable, and ready for the future.

Scardilli: With the new EBSCO Discovery: Open Education replacing Faculty Select, what kind of engagement are you seeing ahead of the upcoming school year? How do you decide what resources become part of it?

EBSCO: Since its April launch, engagement with EBSCO Discovery: Open Education has been strong, as institutions continue to support their faculty in various textbook affordability and open pedagogy initiatives. Librarians are actively onboarding, drawn to the platform’s ability to lower student costs and centralize discovery for high-quality OER and OA content that will be free for students to access.

Usage data, faculty and curriculum needs, and rigorous quality standards guide resource selection. We partner with leading open education and open access providers, including but not limited to OpenStax, Pressbooks, DOAJ, and JSTOR Open Community Collections. 

Ultimately, the platform is designed to make it easy to discover and implement high-quality, freely licensed materials, advancing affordability, accessibility, and educational equity at scale.

Scardilli: EBSCO works with libraries to make its solutions and content affordable. It also has a new Ultimate collection to curate access to important resources. Will there be more databases added to this collection? What has the response from schools/libraries been so far?

EBSCO: Our suite of Ultimate Databases for Schools and Public Libraries was released in January and includes six full-text collections across core disciplines. Since the launch, feedback from libraries has been overwhelmingly positive, with many expressing enthusiasm about the value these resources bring to their communities. Recognizing the challenges libraries face in supporting a wide range of learning needs, we developed these databases to offer high-quality content, an intuitive user experience via our Explora research interface, and seamless integrations with productivity tools and digital learning environments. From early learners to adult researchers, users benefit from reliable information, curated educational videos, and optimized page layouts that enhance engagement, accessibility, and discovery.

Sara Earley, SVP of content: While there are no immediate plans to expand the suite, we will continue to monitor market feedback and adoption, and we remain open to evolving the product line in response to future demands and researcher needs. 

Scardilli: Why is it so important, especially now, for EBSCO to prioritize its relationship with libraries?

Earley: EBSCO is deeply committed to supporting libraries and the vital role they play in their communities—as centers of learning, access, and equity. We recognize the challenges libraries face in an ever-evolving environment shaped by shifts in technology, funding pressures, and growing community expectations; our partnership has never been more important. We understand the increasing demands on library professionals and are dedicated to being a stable, trusted partner providing not only high-quality resources, but also the collaboration, insight, and flexibility needed to help libraries succeed. We are actively licensing to our library partners, seeking new ways to empower them through product innovation, data-informed decision-making, and strategic services that align with their evolving missions. By working together, we can help libraries thrive as they continue to serve as essential anchors of education, discovery, and opportunity.

EBSCO: We are also invested in helping libraries maximize their impact. Through worldwide initiatives like the EBSCO User Group and EBSCO Open Days, we provide spaces for librarians to exchange practical strategies, build peer networks, and directly influence how EBSCO products evolve to meet their needs. These gatherings foster collaboration and innovation, allowing librarians to learn from each other and from EBSCO experts.