ANN ARBOR, Mich., April 10, 2003 - ProQuest Information and Learning will launch PQNext, the latest version of its award-winning ProQuest® interface, in July following extensive user testing and feedback. PQNext will provide powerful, easy-to-use access to the databases produced and distributed by ProQuest Company’s (NYSE:PQE) Information and Learning unit to educational institutions and libraries around the world.

ProQuest has made a substantial investment to rebuild and expand its highly regarded interface, which debuted in 1996. A dedicated team drawn from every area of the company worked on the project, considering issues of librarianship and advanced scholarly research as well as technology in the process.

"PQNext will provide seamless access to a full range of products," said Rod Gauvin, senior vice president of sales and marketing for ProQuest Information and Learning. "As the leader in educational and scholarly publishing, we are committed to investing in technology we need to maintain our market leadership and give our customers the best research products possible."

PQNext will harness the power of metadata and rich content for superior search results. Article-level metadata, including abstracts and subject terms, and enhanced linking capabilities using OpenURL will help researchers find material that had been less accessible. Seamless searching of the current file and backfile was added last March. Many more new features will be phased in over the next few months.

In addition, the new interface retains all the capabilities of the existing ProQuest platform, such as flexible linking options to services such as SFX, end user controls like marked lists, email, and export to bibliographic software packages while adding many new features and tools to aid in the search process. It was developed by a multi-disciplinary team based on extensive market research end-user observation, customer feedback, and usability testing combined with literally hundreds of prototypes.

"We're leveraging technology while recognizing that we still need human intervention and editorial control. We've enhanced efficiency without loss of quality," said Todd Fegan, vice president of product management for ProQuest Information and Learning, speaking to a group of librarians at the ACRL National Conference in Charlotte, NC recently.

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About ProQuest
ProQuest creates specialized information resources and technologies that propel successful research, discovery, and lifelong learning. A global leader in serving libraries of all types, ProQuest offers the expertise of such respected brands as Chadwyck-Healey™, UMI®, SIRS®, and eLibrary®. With Serials Solutions®, Ulrich's™, RefWorks®, COS™, Dialog® and now Bowker® part of the ProQuest brand family, the company supports the breadth of the information community with innovative discovery solutions that power the business of books and the best in research experience.

More than a content provider or aggregator, ProQuest is an information partner, creating indispensable research solutions that connect people and information. Through innovative, user-centered discovery technology, ProQuest offers billions of pages of global content that includes historical newspapers, dissertations, and uniquely relevant resources for researchers of any age and sophistication—including content not likely to be digitized by others. Inspired by its customers and their end users, ProQuest is working toward a future that blends information accessibility with community to further enhance learning and encourage lifelong enrichment.

For more information, visit www.proquest.com or the ProQuest parent company website, www.cig.com.