ANN ARBOR, Mich., January 9, 2004 - ProQuest Information and Learning announces the results of the 2003 ProQuest/SIRS Intellectual Freedom Award (IFA) program: $11,000 in grants and scholarships were presented to 15 state, regional and national prize winners throughout the year. ProQuest Information and Learning creates and publishes databases for libraries and educational institutions worldwide. It acquired SIRS Publishing in 2003, and continues the SIRS legacy of supporting intellectual freedom.

Intellectual Freedom Awards are presented to individuals or groups who have met or resisted attempts at censorship and have otherwise furthered the cause of intellectual and academic freedom. Previous winners include public and school librarians, teachers, administrators, school board members, authors, parents, bookstore owners, community groups and students.

The program now encompasses 30 different intellectual and academic freedom awards. These awards are administered on state, national and international levels in conjunction with intellectual freedom committees, the American Library Association and various academic associations and presented at annual professional meetings.

"ProQuest supports the efforts of intellectual freedom committees. By honoring those who oppose censorship, we hope to increase awareness of the challenges to intellectual freedom and to reinforce the idea that we can't take First Amendment freedoms for granted," said Ron Klausner, president of ProQuest Information and Learning.

The IFA program has a proud history. For more than 25 years, the company has demonstrated its commitment to intellectual freedom and excellence in education. To further this concept, the ProQuest/SIRS Intellectual Freedom Awards were established in 1981.

For information about the 2004 Intellectual Freedom Awards program, please contact Constance Crump at 1-800-521-0600, ext. 6489 or email pr@il.proquest.com

About ProQuest
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.

For more information, visit www.proquest.com or the ProQuest parent company website, www.cig.com.