ANN ARBOR, Mich., November 7, 2007 - An agreement between ProQuest and Gale, a part of Cengage Learning, will connect the two most significant and widely used digital research databases of early modern English books, used at more than 200 universities worldwide, through cross-search technology. In 2008, a search in ProQuest's Early English Books Online (EEBO) also will provide bibliographic search results from Gale's Eighteenth Century Collections Online (ECCO) for mutual subscribers, and vice versa. EEBO and ECCO are digital collections of nearly every printed work from the late 15th through the 18th centuries, and are considered to be among the world's most valued research collections. The agreement will streamline serious research in literature, humanities, history and a variety of cultural studies.

"ProQuest is committed to bringing the best research to light, allowing users to access it directly," said Mary Sauer-Games, vice president, Chadwyck-Healey publishing.  "In a world where users are bombarded by information at every turn, our role as publishers is to be the signpost that guides them to the best sources that are the most relevant and the most trustworthy. This agreement does exactly that by allowing users to seamlessly cross search more than 400 years of every work published in English." 

EEBO and ECCO digitize historic documents - both classics and previously little-known works - allowing researchers to view them in their original state on their desktops.  EEBO, the first project in ProQuest's massive Digital Vault Initiative, includes more than 100,000 literary and historic works from 1475 to 1700.  Its stellar author list includes Joseph Addison, Daniel Defoe, William Congreve, and Thomas D'Urfey. The database also includes musical exercises by Henry Purcell, novels by Aphra Behn, and prayer books, pamphlets, proclamations, almanacs, calendars, and other primary resources.

ECCO, published digitally by Gale in 2003, captures more than 28 million pages of books, dictionaries, directories, Bibles, sheet music and sermons - in fact, almost everything printed in England between 1700 and 1800.  The more than 120,000 books in ECCO contain the seminal works of the age of Enlightenment, the provocative documents that surrounded the American and French revolutionary causes, and landmark writings of scientific, technological and medical discoveries from the Age of Reason.  Sourced from the leading libraries of the world, all the works in ECCO are fully text searchable, and include high resolution images and bibliographic metadata.

Libraries that have purchased both EEBO and ECCO can activate cross-searching at no charge.  Once activated, the cross-search technology requires only a single search to access and view more than four centuries' worth of relevant documents in their original form on a desktop.  

"Libraries need publishers to pursue agreements like this…agreements that make the databases they invest in easier to use and discover," said Frank Menchaca, senior vice president of publishing at Gale.  "I'm delighted that Gale and ProQuest are able to make these two essential research sources work better together."

For more information about EEBO, ECCO and cross-search technology, visit ProQuest or Gale online at www.il.proquest.com or www.gale.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.

About Cengage Learning and Gale
Cengage Learning, formerly Thomson Learning, delivers highly customized learning solutions for colleges, universities, professors, students, reference centers, government agencies, corporations and professionals around the world. Gale, part of Cengage Learning, serves the world's information and education needs through its vast and dynamic content pools, which are used by students and consumers in their libraries, schools and on the Internet. It is best known for the accuracy, breadth and convenience of its data, addressing all types of information needs - from homework help to health questions to business profiles - in a variety of formats - books and eBooks, databases and microfilm.  For more information visit: www.cengage.com or www.gale.com.