Contact Information: Media Contact: Daryn Teague Teague Communications 661.297.5292
NEW PROVIDENCE, NJ--(Marketwire - June 22, 2007) - R.R. Bowker, the global leader in
bibliographic information management, today announced that it has acquired
Medialab Solutions by Amsterdam, creators of the highly regarded
AquaBrowser Library search and discovery platform that is used by more than
60 million patrons in public libraries throughout the U.S. and Europe.
The acquisition represents the alignment of the richest collection of
bibliographic data with the most popular and user-friendly visual faceted
search technology in the library industry, improving Bowker's ability to
deliver new products that enhance the user experience in libraries.
AquaBrowser Library is widely recognized as the only platform exclusively
dedicated to providing visual faceted search solutions for libraries. The
product seamlessly integrates with any major library system, opening up
both the library catalog and any other information source. Through
AquaBrowser Library, libraries can offer the finest user interface
available today, without the need to change anything in the way they work,
their existing ILS or OPAC.
"This agreement combines the best-in-class of two global providers to the
library marketplace, with Bowker's industry-leading data now being married
to Medialab's renowned search technology," said Annie Callanan, president
of New Providence, N.J.-based R.R. Bowker. "The combination of
AquaBrowser's impressive visual Web technology and focus on user
interaction with our global resources and product development commitment
will result in innovative new offerings for the library community. By
aligning our organizations into one company, we will be able to deliver
these new products much faster and with greater depth of content."
Under the acquisition agreement, Medialab Solutions co-founder, Bastiaan
Zwaan, his senior management team and staff will all become part of the
Bowker family. The company will maintain its offices in Amsterdam, The
Netherlands, where operations will continue under Mr. Zwaan's leadership.
"The Medialab Amsterdam team is extremely pleased with this new association
with R.R. Bowker and with the ability it affords us to extend the range of
our products and concepts," said Zwaan. "Together with Bowker's resources
and AquaBrowser's ability to operate independently of any ILS brand or
type, this acquisition represents the start of a new era in the library
marketplace. While the industry has recently been witness to multiple
mergers, buyouts and takeovers, Bowker and Medialab represent a real
marriage of the best data and the best Web-based search technology in the
industry, each of which can be integrated onto any library information
system."
The teams from Bowker and Medialab will be discussing their partnership in
more detail this week at the American Library Association (ALA) Annual
Meeting, which will take place June 21-27 at the Washington Convention
Center in Washington, D.C. Company representatives will be available in
the Bowker booth (#3505) and at the AquaBrowser booth (#1514) throughout
the event.
About R.R. Bowker
R.R. Bowker is the world's leading source for bibliographic information.
The company provides searching, analytical, promotional, and ordering
services to publishers, booksellers, libraries, and patrons through
national and international brands, including: Books In Print®, Global
Books In Print®, Syndetic Solutions™, Pubnet®, PubEasy®,
PubTrack™ and more. In the U.S., Australia and Puerto Rico, Bowker is
also the exclusive ISBN and SAN Agency and a DOI registration agency for
the publishing industry. Bowker is headquartered in New Providence, New
Jersey, with operations in East Grinstead, England, and Port Melbourne,
Australia. For more company details, please visit www.Bowker.com.
About Medialab Solutions BV
AquaBrowser is the world leader in visual faceted search that connects to
any number of data sources. Its creators at Medialab Solutions focus all
efforts toward creating successful searching solutions with invigorating
passion to maintain all libraries as superior sources of information and
knowledge. AquaBrowser can be found in libraries around the world,
including over 120 library systems in the USA, libraries in the UK,
Germany, Belgium, Spain and Italy and 80% of all public libraries the
Netherlands. Today, nearly 2,000 library locations are serving over 60
million citizens worldwide with the visual AquaBrowser search and discovery
experience. For more information about the company, access
http://www.aquabrowser.com or contact us directly. See the AquaBrowser
Online site at http://www.aquabrowseronline.com for more information about
this new service.