Music and Movie Information Provided by Bowker’s Partnership with Midwest Tape; Spanish-Language Annotations and Review Excerpts Support Multi-Cultural Libraries

New Providence, N.J. - June 23, 2006 - Syndetic Solutions, a subsidiary of R.R. Bowker and the premier provider of enriched content for a library’s online catalog, has announced today an agreement with Midwest Tape to provide libraries with the highest quality information on music and movies for seamless integration into their online catalog. Additionally, new Spanish-language content in the form of annotations and review excerpts are also now available.

Midwest Tape, the number one media source for libraries, offers full-service DVD and music ordering capabilities for more than 126,692 relevant and timely titles. This agreement aims to provide libraries with the most music and move information available for delivery directly into their online public access catalog (OPAC) through their integrated library system (ILS) vendor.

The new video content will include: title, jacket image, format, description, running time, rating, release date, genre, actors, director, and publisher. The audio content available includes artist, studio, recording year, release year, length, genre, categories, artists, primary artists, publisher number, synopsis, quotes, and tracks.

“All of us at Midwest Tape are excited about working with Bowker to provide public libraries and library patrons with detailed descriptions and images for DVD and CD titles,” noted Jeff Jankowski, Vice President of Midwest Tape. “Libraries will be able to download order records at Midwesttapes.com which will assure a good match to the Midwest Tape/Syndetics database. Quality data and images are provided as soon as they are announced by the publishers and studios, so that library patrons will be able to view the images and other product information weeks before the title is released. Real-time data and images will create more excitement for DVDs and CDs which will increase reserves and circulation.”

Syndetic Solutions is now also offering Spanish-language content. Spanish-language annotations and review excerpts will come from more than 40 popular sources, including: Vanidades (U.S. edition), Que Leer (Spain), La Jornada (Mexico), El Diario/La Prensa (New York), Primera Hora (Puerto Rico), and Reforma (Mexico). Beginning in July and continuing through September, current Syndetics customers will receive a sneak peek of the Spanish content in their OPAC.

“The debut of Spanish language content and the enhancement to our music and video content shows our commitment to helping librarians provide the most information possible to their diverse group of library patrons,” said Angela D’Agostino, vice-president of business development and marketing at Bowker. “The inclusion of this new content helps the library’s OPAC be the one stop source for all information about what is held in a library. Syndetic Solutions can help patrons, from teenagers looking for the latest box office hit to members of the Spanish speaking community interested in the most recent bestseller, find exactly what they are looking for.”

Spanish, music, and movie content join the list of 12 other OPAC enrichment options offered by Syndetic Solutions: full-text reviews, cover images, tables of contents, find similar title functionality, annotations, series information, awards data, biography profiles, fiction profiles, excerpts, summaries, and author notes. Content offered by Syndetic Solutions is designed to integrate directly with a library’s OPAC system as to provide the library patron a seamless experience in the online catalog.

About Midwest Tape
Midwest Tape is the leading provider of DVDs and CDs to Public Libraries. Midwest offers many innovative services including: standing orders, online order records, full OCLC cataloging, VIP processing, electronic ordering, and electronic invoicing. These services and programs allow Libraries to streamline workflows while getting materials on the shelf faster than ever before.

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.