Company Also To Introduce Enhancements to Various Market Offerings at U.S. Publishing Industry’s Largest Gathering of the Year

New Providence, N.J. - May 17, 2006 - Bowker, the global leader in bibliographic information management, today announced the debut of a new online message board that will allow some of the world’s most highly regarded library professionals to post updates regarding their progress on individual subject areas being developed for the new Resources for College Libraries database.

The online messages from various industry luminaries will be posted in a Web Log (“Blog”) format in the Project Update section of RCLinfo.net , the new Web site dedicated to inform the academic library community about the creation of the much-anticipated Resources for College Libraries (RCL). RCL is a new database of core titles for academic libraries that will be the successor to the classic reference work, Books for College Libraries (BCL), 3rd Edition, published in 1988.

RCL is being developed as a collaborative effort between the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) and Bowker, and is expected to debut as both a Web-based subscription product and a multi-volume print offering in the fall of 2006. The product will feature a comprehensive core list of more than 50,000 books and electronic resources spanning all undergraduate liberal arts and sciences subject areas. Like its predecessor, RCL will be the product of a massive editorial effort involving a full-time Project Editor, Marcus Elmore, who is overseeing the work of more than 50 subject editors, several hundred bibliographers and 50+ referees.

“In addition to the blog we’ve created for updates regarding the development of the new RCL database, RCLinfo.net will host rotating monthly profiles of the most celebrated subject editors,” said Angela D’Agostino, vice president of business development for Bowker. “The profiles will feature Q&A-style commentary from our respected subject-matter experts, most of whom hail from highly esteemed academic institutions. By making use of a variety of online content updates, the new RCL Web site will help keep library professionals informed about the development of Resources for College Libraries until it resumes its place later this year as the ‘must-have’ database for college and research librarians.”

About Bowker
Bowker is the world's leading provider of bibliographic information management solutions designed to help publishers, booksellers, and libraries better serve their customers. The company is focused on developing various tools and products that make books easier for people to discover, evaluate, order, and experience, as well as providing services to publishers that help them better understand and meet the interests of readers worldwide. Bowker is a member of the ProQuest family of companies and is headquartered in New Providence, N.J., with additional operations in England and Australia. For more information, please visit www.bowker.com.