ANN ARBOR, Mich., September 28, 2005 - ProQuest Information and Learning will digitize nearly 6 million pages of British periodicals from the seventeenth, eighteenth, nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, creating direct access for humanities scholars to the breadth of texts that captured both daily life and landmark thought of the time. Upon its release in early 2006, the archive, entitled British Periodicals, will encompass 160 periodicals, building to nearly 500 within two years. ProQuest Information and Learning is an electronic publisher of content for libraries and educational institutions worldwide.

The archive will focus primarily on the nineteenth century, making it an important addition to ProQuest’s aggressive initiative to create a comprehensive digital research source on this significant century.

“Many of the seminal texts of the nineteenth century – from imaginative literature like Dickens’s Oliver Twist to political and philosophical treatises such as J. S. Mill’s Utilitarianism - were originally presented in serial form in the periodicals contained in these collections,” said Mary Sauer-Games, ProQuest vice-president of publishing for Chadwyck-Healey.  “British Periodicals will offer scholars a new way of studying the most influential writings and a new way of accessing and understanding the less well-known materials that comprise the extensive journalistic tapestry -- the record of daily life -- of a hugely important historical period.” 

The product will encompass many important collections creating the first digital access to such an expansive array of humanities research sources.  Research collections include English Literary Periodicals, Early British Periodicals (topics include literature, philosophy, history, science, the fine arts and the social sciences), and British Periodicals in the Creative Arts, (covering art, drama, archaeology and architecture).  ProQuest will also include a variety of other periodicals that have not been included in microfilm collections.  These include Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, British Quarterly Review, Cornhill Magazine, Modern Review, Theological Review and University Magazine, Longman’s Magazine, Atlantis and Dublin University Magazine.

British Periodicals will allow users to view page images and search the full-text for all of its content, including articles, illustrations, ads and other items comprising each periodical issue. 

British Periodicals is part of ProQuest’s ongoing initiative to digitize important early historical works.  Its current focus is on capturing the nineteenth century for faster, more comprehensive research. The company recently announced the upcoming launch of C19: The Nineteenth Century Index -- a finding tool for materials in multiple formats -- which will include the first web-enabled version of the celebrated Wellesley Index to Victorian Periodicals (1824-1900).  Further, it’s expanding its 19^th Century House of Commons Parliamentary Papers to include papers from 20th and 21st century sessions.

For more information about ProQuest research products visit the company on the Web at www.il.proquest.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.