In an era where accessibility, engagement, and measurable impact are at the heart of academic success, VitalSource and Sage have joined forces to deliver a powerful new offering for libraries and students outside of North America: Sage Catalyst on VitalSource Explore. 

This collaboration brings together Sage’s premium collection of the most sought-after social science textbooks with VitalSource’s industry-leading Bookshelf platform, creating an integrated digital learning experience that benefits libraries, faculty, and students alike. 

As a leading social science publisher, Sage textbooks are rich in pedagogy, internationally facing, and designed to engage students across all levels of the curriculum.  

“At VitalSource, our mission has always been to help partners create, deliver, and distribute accessible, affordable, and impactful learning experiences” said Alice Duijser, Managing Director International of VitalSource “Partnering with Sage to bring Catalyst to life on Explore allows us to expand the reach of academic content while providing libraries with tools to enhance engagement and track real outcomes. Together, we’re helping institutions build a more accessible digital future.” 

At the core of the partnership is a shared mission: to remove barriers to learning by making high-quality academic resources universally accessible. With Sage Catalyst, libraries can now offer unlimited, concurrent, university-wide access to sought-after social science textbooks, all delivered on an award-winning platform. 

The collection spans 17 key disciplines, including Business & Management, Psychology, Research Methods, Education, Media and Communication, and more, ensuring broad curriculum coverage across social science programmes. Every title is designed to engage learners through rich pedagogy and accessible, flexible formats that meet the needs of diverse learning styles. 

“As part of the broader digital transformation in higher education, this collaboration integrates our market-leading collection of social science textbooks with VitalSource’s world-class technology, empowering students to engage with content in ways that best support their learning. It enables faculty to enhance teaching outcomes and equips university librarians to champion accessibility, foster inclusive learning, support academic success, and demonstrate impact across campus. We look forward to continuing our work with academic partners to expand access and drive innovation in teaching and learning.” says James Waller, Associate Vice President, Sales at Sage. 

Sage is one of the first publishers to embrace VitalSource’s generative AI tool, Bookshelf+, at scale, demonstrating a commitment to not only innovation in digital learning, but also the strength of the partnership. With all Catalyst titles being enabled with Bookshelf+, institutions can preserve the integrity of the learning experience while providing students with intelligent tools that support their academic journey. Seamlessly integrating AI within the Bookshelf platform, Bookshelf+ delivers an AI-powered tutor, encouraging students to ask questions, explore concepts, test ideas, and build deeper understanding, all without leaving their Sage Catalyst title.  

Sage Catalyst offers insights that drive value. Through COUNTER 5.1-compliant analytics and real-time engagement dashboards, institutions can track student interaction, discover usage trends, and make data-driven decisions about their digital collections. 

The collaboration between Sage and VitalSource reflects a shared commitment to supporting the modern academic ecosystem; one that values flexibility, accessibility, and measurable impact.