In December, Infobase will upgrade several academic subscriptions to the new Infobase platform. If your library already uses Films On Demand or Credo Reference, you already know the platform, and the answers below explain what changes for the rest of your Infobase subscriptions. For an overview of the platform, visit the academic platform page.
In late December, Infobase will move your upgrading subscriptions to the new Infobase platform. Your students will use the same content with a new interface and new research tools, including Mind Map and Topic Assistant. The specific date will be announced in December, but timing will coincide with winter break schedules.
Bloom’s Literature, Feature Films for Education, Health Reference Center, History Center (African American History, American History, American Indian History, Ancient and Medieval History, Issues & Controversies in History, Modern World History, and World Religions), Infobase eBooks, Issues & Controversies, Science Center (Science Online, Today’s Science), and World News Digest. The product status table at the bottom of this page shows every Infobase product and its platform date.
No. The upgrade is part of your current subscription, and your terms remain the same. There is no additional charge for the upgrade.
The new platform gives students and faculty one access point for every upgraded Infobase subscription and adds research supports that help students develop information literacy skills. It also aligns with WCAG 2.2 AA accessibility standards. The academic platform page explains the research behind the design.
Previews are available to administrators today and will be available until the upgrade in December.
The platform preview is accessible from your Infobase admin portal.
If your library already uses Films On Demand or Credo Reference on the new platform, the preview shows how your upgrading subscriptions will appear alongside them.
The preview is exclusively available to administrators, so as not to distract or confuse other users.
Yes! If you are excited and eager to upgrade right away, contact your Customer Success Manager to discuss your options.
No action is required. We recommend reviewing the preview and joining the academic webinar in mid-November so you are ready to answer questions from teachers and students.
There is no anticipated downtime during the upgrade.
Yes. Existing product URLs will redirect automatically to the new platform. No immediate action is required on your end for a smooth transition. However, we do recommend updating product links to the new platform URL eventually, on a timeline that is convenient for you.
Every current authentication method carries over, such as IP, referring URL, SSO, and username and password. The new platform supports SSO authentication.
Yes. Individual user accounts move to the new platform, along with saved items.
The new platform supports LTI 1.3. [Confirm which learning management systems are supported and whether existing LMS links need updating.]
Yes, usage statistics will remain consistently available. All product usage reports will be available through the “Infobase Platform” placard in your admin portal. The new usage report will reflect the usage of products after they are upgraded.
To ensure you have access to historical data, legacy usage reports will remain in your admin portal for another year.
MARC records with updated platform URLs will be available, but existing MARC records will be supported via redirects following your upgrade.
Administrators manage settings through the Infobase admin portal.
Students search within the subscription they are using. With one click they can switch to another upgraded subscription to see results for the same search.
Search results are displayed based on authority, relevance, and alignment to natural language search. Students and faculty can expect to see improved search results on the new platform relative to search results in the past.
In addition to in-product search results, the new platform also features federated search. Results from your library’s other resources can appear in a separate panel on the right side of the screen. Opening one of those results takes the student to that resource’s own site.
Mind Map shows how a topic connects to related subtopics, so students can explore a subject before they narrow their research.
Topic Assistant will be available in Credo. Topic Assistant helps students develop a research topic that is complex, feasible, focused, and fascinating, following the same goals as a reference interview.
Layout and tools stay consistent across subscriptions where consistency helps students move between products. Each product’s experience also reflects its own users and use cases, so Bloom’s Literature and Films On Demand each have an interface suited to how students use them.
The platform aligns with WCAG 2.2 AA accessibility standards, so students who use assistive technology can work with every upgraded subscription.
It depends on the product. Ferguson’s Career Guidance Center and World Geography and Culture Online are scheduled to move to the new platform at a date to be announced. If your school subscribes to products intended for a K-8 audience – The Mailbox Plus, Learn360, or InfoLaunch – these will upgrade in summer 2027. Other products stay on their current platform, and your access to them continues as it is now.
No. If you have a product already on the new platform it will stay as-is. Your December products move to the same platform.
By the end of December, every Infobase streaming video collection and subject research will be on the new platform. The table below lists each product and its status.
Yes. Infobase is hosting an academic webinar in mid-November that covers the December changes and platform basics.
For technical questions, visit Infobase Support or email [email protected]. For questions about your subscriptions, contact your Infobase representative or email [email protected].
Product | Platform | Scheduled Upgrade |
|---|---|---|
Access Video On Demand | On the new platform | Available now |
Films On Demand | On the new platform | Available now |
Credo Reference | On the new platform | Available now |
World News Digest Archive | On the new platform | Available now |
Immersive eBooks | On the new platform | Available now |
Bloom’s Literature | Upgrading | Late December |
Classroom Video On Demand | Upgrading | Late December |
Credo Source | Upgrading | Late December |
eBooks | Upgrading | Late December |
Feature Films for Education | Upgrading | Late December |
Health Reference Center | Upgrading | Late December |
History Center (African American History, American History, American Indian History, Ancient and Medieval History, Issues & Controversies in History, Modern History, and World Religions) | Upgrading | Late December |
Issues & Controversies | Upgrading | Late December |
Just For Kids | Upgrading | Late December |
Science Center (Science Online and Today’s Science) | Upgrading | Late December |
World News Digest | Upgrading | Late December |
InfoLaunch | Scheduled | Summer 2027 |
InfoLaunch Elementary | Scheduled | Summer 2027 |
Learn360 | Scheduled | Summer 2027 |
The Mailbox Plus | Scheduled | Summer 2027 |
Ferguson’s Career Guidance Center | To be scheduled | |
World Geography and Culture Online | To be scheduled | |
Credo Information Literacy | Staying on current platform | N/A |
Polling the Nations | Staying on current platform | N/A |
Writer’s Reference Center | Staying on current platform | N/A |
