ANN ARBOR, Mich., September 3, 2004 - ProQuest Information and Learning announced the addition of key selections from EIU ViewsWire to the ABI/INFORM suite of business databases for library customers around the world. The prestigious service, published by the London-based Economist Intelligence Unit, provides concise analytical briefings to support decision-making for businesses. ProQuest Information and Learning, a unit of ProQuest Company, creates and publishes databases for libraries and educational institutions worldwide.

"The addition of EIU ViewsWire provides critical information on economics, politics and markets for researchers.  We know they turn to ProQuest for such essential resources.  The scarcity of up-to-date material on finance and regulations in both major and minor markets makes this agreement invaluable for our users," said Suzanne BeDell, vice president, higher education publishing, ProQuest Information and Learning.

EIU ViewsWire covers the critical aspects of global business, including business regulations; economic developments; financial markets; foreign investment; industrial trends; labor conditions; political changes; and trade policies in 201 countries.  It delivers three types of business intelligence:

• Country alerts offering briefings on key market developments around the world
• Country views for timely assessments and forecasts of changing market country updates, consensus currency, interest and equity forecasts, country forecast and risk summaries
• Country background covering facts and figures on local market and regulatory environments, including country fact sheets, economic indicators, trade, tax and foreign exchange regulations, and weekly interest rates.

"We have created a powerful tool for the education market by combining the ProQuest database platform with selected global analysis from EIU ViewsWire.  Now users can have a clear vision of the impact of international events on business" said Lou Celi, senior vice president and publishing director of the Economist Intelligence Unit.  "Working with ProQuest enables us to provide our country analysis through one of the best platforms in the market."

The content is available at no additional cost to ABI/INFORM Complete and ABI/INFORM Global subscribers.   Subscribers receive access to all content in EIU’s ViewsWire product except for the five-year forecasts, the business channel, the premium add-in channels, and content from third parties such as Financial Times, CFO Magazine, and OECD.

The service, updated monthly, includes backfile to January 1, 2004.  Indexing maps EIU ViewsWire terminology to the ABI/INFORM controlled vocabulary for consistent searching.  ViewsWire results appear in the “Reference/Reports” tab on the results screen.   Alternatively, users may choose to browse the content by date, country or information channel.

Free trials are available. Libraries may receive more information by contacting their account representative at 1-800-521-0600, ext. 3183 or 3452 (outside the U.S., call +44-1-223-215-512) or pqsales@il.proquest.com. Editors may call 1-800-521-0600, ext. 6489 or email pr@il.proquest.com.

About The Economist Intelligence Unit

The Economist Intelligence Unit, based in London, is a leading provider of country, industry and management analysis. It is the business information arm of The Economist Group, publisher of The Economist. Through its global network of more than 100 in-house editors and economists, and a global network of more than 650 contributors, the EIU continuously assesses and forecasts political, economic and business conditions in 201 countries. As the world's leading provider of country intelligence, it helps executives make better business decisions by providing timely, reliable and impartial analysis on worldwide market trends and business strategies.   For more information, visit www.viewswire.com.

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.