North Carolina Consortium Becomes Latest University System to Select Syndetics for Enriched Catalog Content

New Providence, N.J. - March 25, 2008 - Bowker, the global leader in bibliographic information management, today announced that the Triangle Research Libraries Network (TRLN) has implemented Bowker's Syndetics Indexed Content Enrichment (ICE) service, which allows library patrons to search various Syndetics content directly from the libraries' Online Public Access Catalogs (OPACs) at http://search.trln.org.

Bowker's Syndetic Solutions is the premier provider of enriched content for libraries' online catalogs.

TRLN is a collaborative organization of Duke University, North Carolina Central University, North Carolina State University and The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. This visionary organization is designed to marshal the financial, human and information resources of all four research libraries through cooperative efforts in order to create a rich knowledge environment that furthers their universities' educational missions.

TRLN has integrated the Syndetics ICE content with Endeca, a platform for information retrieval that allows library patrons to have seamless access to the 14 million volumes in their combined collections with a single search interface. TRLN deployed the new search platform in March 2008.

Content offered by Syndetic Solutions is designed to integrate directly with a library's OPAC in order to provide the library patron with an enriched and seamless experience in the online catalog. Syndetics content, which is also 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.

"Syndetics ICE unlocks a wide range of information from Syndetics' value-added content that was previously undetectable through traditional data searches in library information systems," said Mona Couts, director of TRLN. "We have specifically purchased access to searchable tables of contents, which will give our libraries' patrons an easier and more productive search experience in the library."

The consortium also purchased Syndetics cover images, first chapters and excerpts, summaries, music and video covers, summaries and track listings.

"TRLN created the first consortial online catalog in the 1980s, so they have always been at the forefront of innovation when it comes to how to best use technology tools to help 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 Bowker. "We're delighted that TRLN has now agreed to integrate our Syndetics and Syndetics ICE content with the Endeca search platform in order to further enhance the patron experience in their libraries."

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.