Bowker Strengthens Library Sales Management Team with Promotions of Prabu Desikan and Randy Boecker

New Providence, N.J. – December 13, 2005 – Bowker, the leading provider of bibliographic information in North America, today announced the appointment of two experienced professionals to management positions within Bowker’s library division.

Prabu Desikan has been named executive director for North American sales and Randy Boecker has been appointed to the newly created position of manager for large market and consortium sales. Both gentlemen were promoted from other positions within the Bowker library sales organization.

In his new role, Desikan will be responsible for the overall management of the library division’s sales force across North America. He brings to the job more than 16 years of sales and business development experience, having recently served as the East Region Sales Manager for Bowker’s Library Division. In addition, Desikan has over 10 years experience in the library and information industry, working in North America, the Middle East and India.

Boecker will act as the primary customer interface for Bowker’s largest library customers and consortia -- to ensure their satisfaction with Bowker’s products and services, as well as to introduce new Bowker product offerings. He has extensive experience in the library industry, having served as a field sales executive for Bowker for the past six years and with previous stints at Dynix and OCLC.

“The promotion of these experienced professionals signifies our commitment to meet the evolving needs of libraries in North America by strengthening our sales management team,” said Michael Ornstein, Vice President of Sales for New Providence, N.J.-based R.R. Bowker. “In particular, the creation of Randy’s job will be of great benefit to our largest customers by providing them with a single point of contact, fostering a culture of total customer satisfaction. We feel strongly that this will provide a superior level of service and a strong platform to meet the unique needs of our customers in large libraries and library consortia.”

About Bowker

Bowker is the world's leading source for bibliographic information. The company provides searching, analytical, promotional and ordering services to publishers, booksellers, libraries and patrons through national and international brands, including: Books In Print®; Global Books In Print®; Books In Print IntelliMarket™; Monument Information Systems™; Syndetic Solutions™; Pubnet®; PubEasy®; Simba Information™; and more.

In the U.S. and Puerto Rico, Bowker is also the ISBN and SAN Agency and a DOI registration agency for the publishing industry. In Australia, Thorpe-Bowker is the ISBN Agency for Australia and New Zealand, and publisher of Australian Bookseller & Publisher Magazine, the gateway to the Australian book trade. Bowker is headquartered in New Providence, N.J., with operations in East Grinstead, England, and Port Melbourne, Australia. For more company details, please visit www.Bowker.com.