R.R. Bowker Partners with H.W. Wilson to Deliver Bowker’s Book Analysis System for School and Public Libraries

New Providence, N.J. – May 17, 2005 – R.R. Bowker, the leading provider of bibliographic information in North America, today announced that it has signed an agreement with the H.W. Wilson Company to power Bowker’s Book Analysis System for school and public libraries with the content from H.W. Wilson’s Standard Catalogs.

The deal brings together two of the most highly regarded information providers in the library business. Bowker has been distributing bibliographic information to libraries for more than 130 years and H.W. Wilson has been helping librarians identify core titles for their collections for almost a century.

Bowker’s Book Analysis System enables library professionals to perform quick core and gap analyses of their book collections by subject, eliminating the tedious and manual comparisons that plague most collection development. The strategic partnership with H.W. Wilson means that subscribers to H.W. Wilson’s electronic Standard Catalogs will be able to view a comparison of those appropriate core titles with their own library’s collection, identifying specific titles they would like to purchase. In addition, comprehensive bibliographic details on each title can be quickly viewed through Bowker’s BooksInPrint.com database.

H.W. Wilson’s Standard Catalogs include five electronic databases created with input from librarians nationwide. The Standard Catalogs, found on WilsonWeb, include: Children’s Catalog, Public Library Catalog, Fiction Catalog, Middle and Junior High School Library Catalog, and Senior High School Library Catalog.

“Bowker is extremely pleased to be partnering with H.W. Wilson to bring librarians a long-awaited collection development tool which automates a laborious manual comparison process,” said Angela D’Agostino, vice president of business development for New Providence, N.J.-based R.R. Bowker. “Now our customers can assess their collection based on the core selections of Wilson’s highly esteemed advisors and subject specialists, such as Nancy Pearl, author of Book Lust.”

Bowker’s Book Analysis System for school and public libraries is being unveiled to library professionals at the upcoming American Library Association (ALA) 2005 Annual Conference at McCormick Place Convention Center in Chicago. For more information or to view a demonstration of the new system, please visit Booth 2008 during the ALA trade show on June 25-28.

“Librarians have turned to Wilson Standard Catalogs for help with collection development for generations. We’re happy to see the process now made even more efficient and streamlined through Bowker’s Book Analysis System,” said Deborah Loeding, vice president of sales and marketing for New York-based H.W. Wilson. “By combining the strengths of two of the ‘founding fathers’ in the library information business, we will be able to offer school and public library professionals access to a definitive resource for improving their book collections.”

About R.R. Bowker
Founded in 1872, R.R. Bowker is North America’s leading provider of bibliographic information, and is also the official agency for assigning ISBNs in the United States. Summary statistics for U.S. Book Production is available on BookWire®, Bowker’s portal to the book trade, at www.BookWire.com. The company’s flagship product, Books In Print®, is available on the Internet at www.BooksInPrint.com, on CD-ROM and in hardbound print format. For more information, please visit www.Bowker.com or call 1-888-BOWKER2 (1-888-269-5372).

About H.W. Wilson
Since 1898, independent publisher H.W. Wilson has provided researchers with references produced with unmatched editorial integrity. More than 60 H.W. Wilson databases -- indexes, abstracts, full text resources, plus the acclaimed Standard Catalogs -- meet the research needs of customers around the globe. From the long-popular Readers' Guide to Periodical Literature to today’s widely-praised Biography Reference Bank, H.W. Wilson products are created for librarians, by librarians. Over 150 Wilson editorial staff members with MLS or MLIS degrees -- multi-lingual trained librarians and subject specialists -- build the Wilson references each day. For more information, visit www.hwwilson.com.