 |
OCLC Purchase of netlibrary ASSETS approved
DUBLIN, Ohio, Jan. 11, 2002 — Subject to a 10-day appeal period, final closing on the
sale of NetLibrary assets to OCLC Online Computer Library Center has been set
for later this month, based on approval granted today by the U.S. Bankruptcy
Court for the District of Colorado. The sale includes both the eBook Division
and the MetaText eTextbook Division of NetLibrary.
"OCLC has received very strong support and encouragement from libraries, publishers
and distribution partners since the announcement of our intent to purchase NetLibrary's assets," said Jay Jordan,
president and CEO, OCLC. "We are excited to be in a position to continue NetLibrary's
pioneering efforts. This acquisition will further our goals of providing libraries
around the world with economical access to knowledge by continually expanding content and integrated services."
"We are pleased to join the OCLC cooperative
and to be able to add eBooks to the impressive lists of products and services
already available through OCLC," said Rob Kaufman, president and CEO of
NetLibrary. "eBooks have proven their
value in libraries around the globe, and we look forward to working with the
entire OCLC team to continue to expand their role in supporting the research,
reference and learning programs delivered through the world’s universities and
libraries."
NetLibrary's eBook operation will become a division of OCLC located in Boulder, Colorado,
serving libraries and their users. The digital textbook group will become
a for-profit subsidiary of OCLC and will also continue to operate from Boulder.
NetLibrary develops and markets eBooks and MetaText digital textbooks.
eBooks are full-text electronic versions of published books that library
patrons can search, borrow, read and return via the Internet. With NetLibrary eBooks,
users can access library resources anywhere, anytime, and perform full-text
searches across hundreds of books or within a specific book to speed research
and reference projects. eBooks can be viewed online from any location using an
Internet browser. NetLibrary's catalog now contains
approximately 40,000 titles covering a wide range of subject areas such as business,
economics, technology, the social sciences and more.
NetLibrary also markets MetaText digital textbooks, interactive, web-based textbooks with
enhanced teaching, collaborating and learning tools for teachers and
students. MetaText works with the leading textbook publishers to transform print textbooks into course-centric
digital textbook learning environments. The MetaText catalog of digital textbooks, which includes more than 160
titles, covers topical areas ranging from Anthropology to Zoology.
Headquartered in Dublin, Ohio, OCLC Online Computer Library Center is a nonprofit
organization that provides computer-based cataloging, reference, resource
sharing and preservation services to 41,000 libraries in 82 countries and
territories. OCLC was founded in 1967 to improve access to the world's information
and reduce information costs, and conducts ongoing research to develop technologies
to support that mission. Forest Press, a division of OCLC since 1988,
publishes the Dewey Decimal Classification system.
In the United States, more information is available (via telephone: +1-614-764-6000 or
1-800-848-5878; fax: +1-614-764-6096;
or e-mail: oclc@oclc.org). In Europe,
the Middle East and Africa, contact the OCLC Europe office, located in
Birmingham, United Kingdom (phone: +44 121 456 4656; fax: +44 121 456 4680; or
e-mail: europe@oclc.org). In Asia
and the Pacific region, contact the OCLC Asia Pacific office in Dublin, Ohio
(phone: +1-614-764-6189; fax: +1-614-764-4331; or e-mail:
asia_pacific@oclc.org). In Canada, contact the OCLC Canada office in
Montreal, Quebec (phone: +1-450-658-6583 or 1-888-658-6583; fax: +1-450-658-6231;
or e-mail: canada@oclc.org). In Latin America and the Caribbean, contact
the OCLC Latin America and the Caribbean office in Dublin, Ohio
(phone: +1-614-761-5196; fax: +1-614-718-1026; or e-mail:
america_latina@oclc.org).
More information about OCLC and OCLC regional service providers is available at
http://www.oclc.org/.
NetLibrary www.NetLibrary.com is
the leading provider of eBooks and Internet-based content management services
for the institutional library market. NetLibrary develops, hosts, maintains and preserves eBook collections
for academic, corporate, public, and school libraries. Thousands of libraries throughout the United
States and internationally are currently providing NetLibrary eBooks to their
patrons. The MetaText Division www.MetaText.com
of NetLibrary creates, hosts and manages web-based digital textbooks for
leading textbook publishers. MetaText
digital textbooks provide instructors and students with a full range of
interactive teaching, collaborating and learning tools.
Contact:
Nita Dean
+1-614-761-5002
nita_dean@oclc.org
Marge Gammon
+1-303-381-8799
mgammon@netlibrary.com
Dewey, Dewey Decimal Classification, Forest Press and OCLC are registered trademarks of OCLC.
|
|
