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NetLibrary And Houghton Mifflin To Launch Digital Textbook Initiative
MetaText Product Group to Develop and Manage Electronic College Texts
BOULDER, COLO., and BOSTON – November 30, 2000 – NetLibrary, the
leading provider of eBooks and Internet-based content management
services, and Houghton Mifflin Company, a leading educational publisher,
today announced plans to launch a digital textbook initiative. NetLibrary's
MetaText division will create electronic versions of Houghton Mifflin College
Division texts and, beginning in the fall 2001 semester, provide college
students and instructors access to electronic textbooks through MetaText's
interactive, Web-based learning platform.
Once transformed into MetaText editions, select Houghton Mifflin
college titles will be available for review and adoption by instructors
at colleges and universities throughout the United States. Instructors
may adopt MetaText editions directly through their existing Houghton
Mifflin sales representatives in the spring of 2001 for use in classes
beginning in the fall semester of 2001. Plans are underway to include
additional Houghton Mifflin titles via the MetaText platform in following
semesters.
"We are thrilled to be taking another step into the future of
online learning with MetaText," said June Smith, Executive Vice President,
Houghton Mifflin College Division. "Houghton Mifflin is committed to
offering our customers the freedom to choose between reading materials
in print or online. We chose MetaText to help us achieve our digital
textbook goals because of the pedagogical value of the MetaText platform
and the scalability of NetLibrary's conversion, hosting, and serving
infrastructure."
MetaText editions contain all essential components of a textbook,
including words, photographs, charts, and graphics. MetaText editions
organize text into conceptual units rather than arbitrary page breaks.
The MetaText platform features a variety of tools to benefit both
instructors and students. With MetaText, instructors can build online
course syllabi, manage class rosters, annotate text, and make class
announcements that are instantly viewable by students. Students using
MetaText can take advantage of a host of features to search, navigate,
annotate, highlight, and bookmark their online texts. Students have
their own unique home pages that serve as a portal to all of their
MetaText resources associated with the course, including the syllabus,
text, announcements, and additional reading materials. Communication
tools built into the MetaText platform facilitate instructor-to-student
and instructor-to-class feedback.
Houghton Mifflin Company and NetLibrary have joined forces on a number
of initiatives, reflecting Houghton Mifflin's commitment to expanding the
reach of its content and services beyond traditional channels. Numerous
Houghton Mifflin Trade & Reference titles are available as eBooks to
NetLibrary's institutional customers. Additionally, the two companies
worked together to integrate The American Heritage®
Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition, into NetLibrary's online
eBook experience.
"Houghton Mifflin and NetLibrary have an outstanding track
record of cooperation in creating businesses that take advantage
of digital publishing and distribution," said NetLibrary Vice President
of Publisher Relations Herb Hilderley. "I am happy to announce that,
through MetaText, we are taking that relationship one step further
into the realm of full-featured, Web-based digital textbooks."
Houghton Mifflin Company is a leading publisher of textbooks,
instructional technology, assessments, and other educational
materials for elementary and secondary schools and colleges. The
Company also publishes an extensive line of reference works and
fiction and nonfiction for adults and young readers. The Company's
Internet site can be found at www.hmco.com.
MetaText was founded in 1998 to help publishers, instructors,
and students harness the power of the information age. MetaText
creates Web-based digital textbooks that provide instructors
and students with a full range of interactive learning tools.
In March 2000, MetaText was acquired by NetLibrary (http://www.NetLibrary.com),
the leading provider of eBooks and Internet-based content management
services. For more information, go to www.MetaText.com.
Contact:
NetLibrary
Brian Bell
(303) 381-8703
bbell@NetLibrary.com
Houghton Mifflin
Margaret Sherry
(617) 351-5113
margaret_sherry@hmco.com
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