ANN ARBOR, Mich., March 21, 2006 - ProQuest Information and Learning introduced its new Genealogy Center program at the Public Library Association's biennial conference. Addressing the burgeoning interest in family history, Genealogy Center resources allow libraries to pick and choose from ProQuest's wealth of genealogy databases to create a resource tailored specifically to its community's needs. Among the choices are ProQuest's lauded HeritageQuest Online and Ancestry Library Edition - which provide such core research as census data and vital records - as well as a variety of other "clue-rich" databases of newspapers, maps, military records, and archival magazines. In all, the suite of products available in the ProQuest Genealogy Center provide every bit of information experts say researchers need to track their personal history - from birth records to directories to finding aids such as dictionaries, bibliographies and gazetteers.

"Interest in family history is growing dramatically and the focal point of the research is at the public library – it's where the community comes first when they want to investigate their family history," said Rod Gauvin, ProQuest senior vice president. "Genealogy Center resources allow a library of any size to create a specialized collection for any demographic, any community. With this concept, libraries build a service for their communities that makes it easier to trace the pieces of any family's past and allows the library to connect with patrons on a personal level."

While libraries have a long history of service to genealogists, interest in family history is spreading to a broader mix of Americans. In fact, according to a recent survey, 73% of Americans now claim an interest in learning more about their roots -- up from 60% in 2000. ProQuest built the suite of Genealogy Center products to address essential information sources needed by all levels of genealogical research--plus, a second layer of resources provides customization. For example, a researcher who finds an ancestor's draft registration card in Ancestry Library Edition could then access Digital Sanborn Maps to track the address from the card, examining the neighborhood where that ancestor lived and worked.

Ten digitized historical newspapers provide primary data as early as 1764, but much of the deep customization is possible through ProQuest’s vast microfilm newspaper vaults, which provide historical records from towns of all sizes.  So a library in Zanesville, Ohio, could build a center with broad vital records coverage through HeritageQuest Online … provide Midwestern news analysis of the day through the digital Chicago Tribune archive … and then track the day-to-day of the town's founders through the Zanesville Times Recorder on microfilm.

Microfilm offerings are translated to a digital environment through the availability of the ST200 digital microfilm viewer. Replacing a traditional microfilm viewer, the ST200 lets researchers share images from the microfilm, e-mail them over the internet or save them to a hard drive or LAN.

"This is a breakthrough service for libraries," said Gauvin. "ProQuest has identified and developed all the best resources for genealogy and put in them in one spot so libraries can get just the right mix for their patrons."

For more information about ProQuest Genealogy Center resources visit online at www.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.