ANN ARBOR, Mich., January 31, 2003 - ProQuest Information and Learning announced that Electric Library Canada--a Canadian-based service that provides a subscription-based online research tool for users of all ages--will be represented by Micromedia ProQuest, the ProQuest Information and Learning's Canadian division. Updated daily, Electric Library Canada delivers exclusively 100% full-text articles from a valuable combination of international and local information sources.

Launched in April 1998, the Electric Library Canada service is the result of an exclusive marketing and distribution license between bigchalk, a K-12 information provider, and Rogers Media Inc., a subsidiary of Rogers Communications Inc. ProQuest acquired bigchalk in December 2002.

 "Electric Library Canada provides us with an immediate strength in the K-12 education market in Canada," said Rod Gauvin, senior vice president of sales and marketing for ProQuest Information and Learning. "It will provide us with the ability to sell a full range of products to the K-12 market and provide a seamless set of product offerings for schools, districts, and multi-type consortia in Canada."

"We are committed to expanding our presence in Canada, as well as expanding distribution of Canadian content. This agreement supports both objectives," added Gauvin.

Subscribers to Electric Library Canada have access to an extensive database of reference materials from both Canadian and international sources. The service delivers 100% full-text articles from almost 800 magazines and journals, 300 newspapers and newswires. It also contains over 160,000 photos, 2,700 maps, and over 200,000 television, radio and government transcripts.

Canadian content sources on the database include Maclean's, Canadian Business, Canadian Geographic, The National (CBC), CanPIX Image Archive, Computing Canada, The Canadian Encyclopedia, and many more.

Electric Library Canada operations will be fully integrated into Micromedia ProQuest operations.

 

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ProQuest creates specialized information resources and technologies that propel successful research, discovery, and lifelong learning. A global leader in serving libraries of all types, ProQuest offers the expertise of such respected brands as Chadwyck-Healey™, UMI®, SIRS®, and eLibrary®. With Serials Solutions®, Ulrich's™, RefWorks®, COS™, Dialog® and now Bowker® part of the ProQuest brand family, the company supports the breadth of the information community with innovative discovery solutions that power the business of books and the best in research experience.

More than a content provider or aggregator, ProQuest is an information partner, creating indispensable research solutions that connect people and information. Through innovative, user-centered discovery technology, ProQuest offers billions of pages of global content that includes historical newspapers, dissertations, and uniquely relevant resources for researchers of any age and sophistication—including content not likely to be digitized by others. Inspired by its customers and their end users, ProQuest is working toward a future that blends information accessibility with community to further enhance learning and encourage lifelong enrichment.

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