ProQuest Acquires Acclaimed Congressional Information Service and University Publications of America from LexisNexis

ANN ARBOR, Mich., Nov. 30, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- ProQuest, an information firm supporting the global research community, is significantly expanding its service to government markets through the acquisition of the acclaimed Congressional Information Service (CIS®) and University Publications of America (UPA) product lines from LexisNexis. Widely respected for their unique contributions to research, CIS includes one of the world's most exhaustive online collections of legislative content and highly respected statistical works, while UPA includes deep historical sets. The acquisition includes digital products and an expansive microfilm vault that will be energized through ProQuest's strength in conversion from film to searchable electronic formats.  

"These are unique, well-known brands that fit exceptionally well in the ProQuest family," said Marty Kahn, ProQuest CEO. "The products are highly respected and they're backed by a staff that brings a tremendous skill set in indexing, abstracting, and organizing of data that makes this unique content more accessible, discoverable and usable. We believe in CIS and UPA and are committed to their growth."

The newly-acquired products, staples in academic, public and government libraries, amplify and extend a variety of ProQuest's key content sets.  The company is renowned for its digitization of the National Security Archives, the UK's historic Parliamentary Papers and the archives of dozens of major newspapers.  The addition of CIS and UPA product lines provide complementary content that expands ProQuest's service to its traditional markets as well as new markets and enables creative new content packages.

Among the acquired product lines' best known works is the Congressional Collection, a one-of-a-kind resource that enables simple access to the full text of the breadth of governmental output -- congressional publications, bills, laws and other research materials – and award-winning Statistical Insight, which captures data produced by U.S. Federal agencies, States, private organizations, and major intergovernmental organizations. The microfilm vault of government documents encompasses text of congressional hearings dating from 1789, providing rich content for ProQuest's continuously expanding digital archives.

"As LexisNexis continues to transform its portfolio of products and services, we are very pleased to place this business unit with ProQuest as it is an excellent fit for them and their customers," said Mike Simmons, senior vice president of Specialty Businesses at LexisNexis.  "We look forward to working with ProQuest – including licensing back certain legislative content sets from ProQuest for our legal professional customers."

CIS and UPA editorial staff members join ProQuest and will continue to be based in their Bethesda (MD) offices.  Product names will remain the same, but will begin to include the ProQuest brand in 2011.  Customers can find answers to their questions about the transition from LexisNexis to ProQuest at www.proquest.com/go/CISUPAinfo.

About ProQuest

A global leader in serving libraries of all types, ProQuest offers the expertise of such respected brands as UMI®, Chadwyck-Healey™, 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 level and sophistication—including content not likely to be digitized by others.

The company is nearing launch of an all-new platform that will transform delivery of several highly-regarded individual platforms into a consolidated research experience that will encompass all ProQuest family products over time.  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, please visit www.proquest.com.

SOURCE ProQuest