ANN ARBOR, Mich., October 15, 2007 - The Guardian and The Observer will be the first British titles to join the acclaimed ProQuest Historical Newspapers™.  More than 212 years of continuous, independent reporting that covers the best in arts, politics, business, and sports will be searchable for the first time.  Digitised by Olive Software, Inc. and converted to ProQuest Historical Newspaper's specifications, the digital archive will include the Guardian (1821- 2003) and The Observer (1791-2003).

The ability to cross-search the archives of two major British newspapers with ProQuest's existing American historical newspapers provides researchers with contrasting  perspectives on key international events, such as World Wars I and II, the Middle East peace process, and the terrorist attacks in the United States September 11, 2001.  Researchers will be able to compare news, political cartoons, and editorials about the same events in both American and British newspapers.

"The vivid and fearless reporting by both newspapers has set journalistic standards not only in the UK, but also worldwide," said Rod Gauvin, Senior Vice President of Publishing for ProQuest.  "Indeed, globally many rely on the Guardian and The Observer for unbiased, thoughtful reporting on events in their own country. The addition of these two major British newspapers will propel ProQuest Historical Newspapers into a truly international news publication program, giving researchers comprehensive information that can be found easily from a single starting point."

Gerard Baines, Head of Syndication & Rights, Guardian News and Media said,  "the launch of the archive will revolutionise the way in which users are able to access our historic content, whether for academic research or personal interest. Olive Software has proven to be a fantastic technology partner fulfilling the huge task of digitising the entire archive in less than 12 months. We are also thrilled to be working with ProQuest, the world's largest distributor of digitised newspaper archives."  

The Guardian's and The Observer's archive will be cross-searchable with ProQuest Historical Newspapers, the world's largest digital newspaper archive, encompassing more than 17 million pages dating from 1764.  A core research holding in major libraries around the world, it includes such formidable newspapers as The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Christian Science Monitor, Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune, The New York Tribune, The Washington Post, Atlanta Constitution, Boston Globe, Hartford Courant, The Chicago Defender, New York Amsterdam News, Pittsburgh Courier, Los Angeles Sentinel, and Atlanta Daily World. ProQuest's Historical Newspapers is the definitive digital newspaper archive with keyword searching, article-level search results, full page views, and the ability to browse through an issue page by page.    

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.