"CultureGrams is one of our fastest growing products and this new 2008 edition is one of the largest upgrades ever," said Jim Ulsh, director of publishing for ProQuest.  "The increased emphasis on globalism and multiculturalism makes CultureGrams an indispensable and timely resource.  These substantial updates are part of our commitment to helping teachers and students gain an insiders perspective on daily life and culture, including the history, customs, and lifestyles of the world's people." 

Ten new country reports have been added to the Kids Edition. New Kids reports include Afghanistan, Bolivia, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Iraq, Mozambique, Panama, Poland, and Ukraine.  Available in August, CultureGrams World edition will have 15 new country reports, and new subject areas for each country (housing and life-cycle).  New print sets and individual 4-page country reports will also be added. 

CultureGrams has become a favorite among schools, businesses, military and government, and public libraries because of its insider's perspective on daily life and culture, including the history, customs, and lifestyles of the world's people. Reports cover more than 200 countries, the 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia, and Canadian provinces. Additional content includes images, maps, flags, bios, statistics, and a recipe collection that offers five authentic recipes for every country in the database.

Since its beginnings in 1974, CultureGrams has become one of the most trusted and widely used cultural reference products. CultureGrams strength is the coordination with native or long-term residents to provide a real-life view into each country. Writers are selected for their education, knowledge of a national language, experience with different regions and socioeconomic groups, recent residency in the country, and access to current information.

For more information about CultureGrams or any ProQuest product, visit online at www.il.proquest.com.