Company Announces Initial Partnership with AquaBrowser to Launch Product at ALA Annual Meeting

New Providence, N.J. - June 19, 2007 - Syndetic Solutions, a subsidiary of R.R. Bowker and the premier provider of enriched content for a library’s online catalog, today announced the introduction of Syndetics Indexed Content Enrichment (ICE), an enhancement that allows library patrons to search all Syndetics content directly from the library’s Online Public Access Catalog (OPAC).

Syndetics ICE is initially available by annual subscription to libraries using Syndetic Solutions and the AquaBrowser Library search and discovery platform. The product will be launched this week at the American Library Association (ALA) Annual Meeting, which will take place June 21-27 at the Washington Convention Center in Washington, D.C.

The powerful new tool unlocks a wide range of information from Syndetics’ value-added content that was previously undetectable through traditional “MARC” record data searches in library information systems. This includes access to tables of contents, annotations and fiction profiles, as well as supplemental options such as Title Link and Customized Fiction Connection, which work to give patrons an easier and more productive search experience in the library.

“Syndetics ICE is an exciting enhancement to our suite of products because it raises the visibility of a library’s holdings and brings greater relevancy to search results by helping patrons find the items that they would have otherwise missed with traditional searches,” said John Krafty, director of product management in the library business unit of R.R. Bowker. “Each night, our Syndetics content is matched to the library’s AquaBrowser index, so any new content is available for searches on the very next business morning. This ease-of-use and efficiency of deployment means that patrons achieve more successful searches and libraries achieve higher circulation.”

“This is a terrific product that enriches a customer’s catalog search experience and assists in finding relevant library resources -- all without any staff intervention,” said Scott Rinehart, assistant director of the Carroll County Public Library in Westminster, Maryland.

Content offered by Syndetic Solutions is designed to integrate directly with a library’s OPAC system in order to provide the library patron with an enriched and seamless experience in the online catalog. Syndetics content, which is compatible with virtually every Integrated Library System (ILS), includes full-text reviews, cover images, tables of content, awards data, biography profiles, fiction profiles, excerpts, summaries and author notes.

Last month, the company also announced the introduction of cover images for more than 742,000 music CDs and videos, summaries for more than 112,000 videos and 650,000 music CDs, and thousands of track listings for music recordings in various formats.

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.