SINGAPORE — Access to the National Library Board’s (NLB) subscription to Udemy Business will cease from Dec 15 due to changes in the online learning resource’s licencing model and a “significant” cost rise, NLB said on Tuesday (Nov 7).

NLB said it was looking for alternative resources to replace the Udemy Business resources.

It made the statement in response to TODAY’s queries after netizens on Reddit voiced unhappiness at the move, with many calling on NLB to reconsider the decision.

The Redditors had learnt of the decision via an email from NLB.

Udemy, which has offices around the world, offers NLB patrons courses on topics such as software development, leadership, marketing, sales and programming.

On Monday, Reddit user “Spiritual_Doubt_9233” reposted an email sent by NLB outlining the decision.

The post read: “Please be informed that access to Udemy Business using your NLB membership will cease on Dec 15, 2023. If you have incomplete courses, remember to complete them by then. You will no longer be able to retrieve your course(s) progress after Dec 14, 2023.”

As of Tuesday night, the post has garnered more than 300 upvotes and about 120 comments.

Many users were upset at the news.

One user “hamiwin” said: “What can we do to make our voices heard? Udemy is damn useful. My plan is to politely ask them to reconsider renewing their subscription given how beneficial it is to residents.”

Another Redditor “Crazy_Comprehensive wrote: “Very disappointed that just because of cost, the Udemy Business is discontinued as it is simply the best currently in term of the courses offered, with most of the courses with high quality content.”

“Books are also getting expensive especially IT (information technology) books so does that means NLB should stop buying books? If not, why should it happen to e-learning?”

Others suggested starting a petition urging NLB to keep providing Udemy Business’ services.

In response to TODAY’s queries, NLB said that the decision to subscribe to specific e-resources is guided by its users’ needs, collection gaps, budget, and the costs as well as platforms’ business models.

“NLB subscribes to a variety of e-resources, like e-books, e-databases, e-newspapers and e-magazines to offer its patrons a range of resources to read, learn and discover with.”

The agency said that it is committed to sourcing for alternative e-learning platforms for patrons and will continue to identify suitable e-learning resources in place of the offerings by Udemy Business.

“Patrons can look forward to new e-learning resources in the coming year. More details will be shared when ready.”