ANN ARBOR, Mich., June 6, 2005 - ProQuest Information and Learning announced an agreement with The Columbus Dispatch to distribute the full text of the respected Ohio-based newspaper to library and education markets around the world via ProQuest's acclaimed online interface. ProQuest Information and Learning, a unit of ProQuest Company, is an electronic publisher of content for libraries and educational institutions worldwide.

The Columbus Dispatch traces its roots to 1871, when 10 veteran printers invested $900 to launch the capital city's first afternoon publication. Still privately-owned, the paper now ranks among the nation's 50 largest dailies in both weekday and Sunday penetration of homes. It is the number one source of information in central Ohio and the only daily newspaper in the Columbus market. Throughout its history, it has won numerous awards for excellence in journalism and in print reproduction.

The agreement includes all available electronic backfiles without embargoes. The Dispatch will be available in July by subscription in a variety of forms, including stand-alone and in such products as ProQuest Newsstand, Midwest Newsstand and Ohio Newsstand.

Growth of newspaper content is part of ProQuest's initiative to provide libraries with a total newspaper solution. The company's vast news content pool includes 12 million digital pages of historical archives of major U.S. dailies. Its extensive current collection includes more than 400 full-text newspapers from around the world – 100 of which have been added in the past year. ProQuest's newspaper solutions also include such unique delivery systems as NewspaperDirect, which allows libraries to get direct access to over 250 international and domestic dailies in full-page format.

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.