History

A long time in the making

Cairn’s origins can be traced back to the work of Belgian researcher Marc Minon at LENTIC, the Laboratory for the Study of New Technologies for Information, Innovation and Change at the University of Liège. Recognizing the internet’s impact on academic publishing and its tremendous potential to increase the reach of humanities and social sciences research, Marc Minon conceived the idea of a full-text portal for the leading French-language journals. He received the backing of Georges Hoyos and François Gèze, publishing directors of De Boeck Université and La Découverte respectively, and in 2002 met Jean-Baptiste de Vathaire, technical executive in HSS publishing and e-book specialist. The four of them then set out to convince other Francophone publishers to join the project.

The idea was certainly ambitious: to pool the competing offerings of numerous publishers; cover all disciplinary fields in the domain; invest heavily in the digital processing and enrichment of content; offer open and unlimited access while ensuring the revenues necessary to keep publishers afloat; and involve the world of academia and public authorities in the governance of this enterprise.

After various setbacks, Cairn was finally established in May 2005 as a Belgian limited liability company, bringing together four publishing houses (De Boeck Supérieur, La Découverte, Érès, and Belin) and Belgian public investment vehicles linked to the University of Liège and the French-speaking community of Belgium. These were joined in 2006 by the Bibliothèque nationale de France (BnF; French National Library).

Development and diversification

The venture met with immediate success among the target audiences, and most Francophone university libraries subscribed within the first few years. At the same time, leading industry publishers joined the initiative, and the number of journals distributed quickly grew: from 60 at the end of 2005 to nearly 400 by the end of 2013.

In 2010, further publication types were included on the portal: research books (collective works and later monographs), magazines, and pocket encyclopedia collections (the "Que sais-je?" series from PUF and the "Repères" series from La Découverte). The decision was made to maintain a consistent interface across these different types of content to ensure a smooth user experience. Marketing to client institutions—primarily via subscription to publication bundles—also mirrored the journal subscription model.

Consolidation and internationalization

An English version of Cairn.info was launched in 2014. Cairn International offers several hundred translated full-text articles and abstracts in English for tens of thousands more. These translations are managed and edited by Cairn, in partnership with teams of translators specialized in the relevant disciplines. Supported by the Centre National du Livre (CNL; National Book Center) and the Centre français d’exploitation du droit de copie (CFC; French Center for Copyright Exploitation), this initiative significantly extends the reach of these journals in the English-speaking world, with over 250 subscribing institutions in America and Asia. Over time, most of Cairn’s partner publishers have joined this initiative, with the number of journals translated increasing from 80 to more than 260 over six years.

During the same period, the content available on Cairn.info grew significantly. By the end of 2019, it included 500 journals, 10,000 books, and 1,500 "Que sais-je?" and "Repères" titles. Usage of the site became increasingly widespread, with nearly 250 million full-text consultations in 2019.

New features, new services

While its cooperative spirit remained strong, 2020 saw a change in the company’s governance, with Marc Minon retiring and Jean-Baptiste de Vathaire and Thomas Parisot stepping into his shoes. Similarly, Groupe Madrigall, the major French publishing group, replaced the Belgian institutional investors who had supported the company since its inception. The project is now overseen by the BnF together with a total of five publishing houses and groups. In 2023, the company headquarters was transferred to Paris, and Cairn.info became Cairn.info SAS, a mission-driven company.

New features were introduced: Cairn Pro, the online subscription for healthcare and mental health professionals offers new services and content aimed at improving publication discoverability. These include video interviews with major contemporary authors, dossiers on current issues, and reading lists curated by experts in the field.
Simultaneously, the company expanded its services to journals and publishers seeking to optimize their technical costs. It now produces over 80 print journals, as well as offering subscription management services and an online article submission management tool.

In 2022 a Spanish-language portal, Cairn Mundo Plural, was launched, featuring translations and some original Spanish publications. The same year, Cairn.info expanded the range of disciplines covered with the Cairn Sciences portal, which includes over 1,500 science and technology books and manuals, later joined by medical collections and journals.

 

Acquisition of Isako

In April 2024, Cairn.info acquired a majority stake in Isako, a specialist in document structuring and enhancement.

A one-stop platform

All of this content was consolidated in spring 2024 into a single multilingual and multidisciplinary portal.