"This decision is all about focus," said David "Skip" Prichard, president of ProQuest Higher Education & Library. "The sale positions us to concentrate on publishing strategies in our news-based and digital reference solutions, as well as other higher-growth businesses that provide greater opportunity to leverage our skills and assets."

"We are pleased that the mission of NAPC, under the leadership of founder and President Dan Arbour, is to build on the foundation of quality content and service that we have worked to establish," said Prichard.

Since news content is a major area for planned growth, ProQuest will continue to sell newspaper microform, along with a large array of research collections and the dissertations product line, under the UMI® brand.  ProQuest also will continue to produce digital periodical databases and draw on periodical content for a variety of products.  "Providing access to unique content continues to be at the center of what we do," said Prichard.  "We have definitive plans to continue to develop special microfilm collections that enhance access to unique information.  We are committed to developing new products that provide value to our customers."

"ProQuest will continue to serve as guardians of non-periodical microform," Prichard continued.  "We take this responsibility seriously and are honored by the trust the library and publisher communities have placed in us to ensure ongoing access to valuable information."

Terms of the sale include a provision for NAPC to perform manufacturing of non-periodical microform and electronic scanning services.  This will ensure consistent high quality of products available from ProQuest and NAPC.  Production processes will remain in Ann Arbor and will continue to be performed by the same group of microform experts.  Terms of the sale allow NAPC to market their periodical products as UMI® Periodicals in Microform.

ProQuest and NAPC are working together to provide customers with information to ensure a clear and easy transition.

ProQuest today also announced the concurrent sale of the XanEdu® CoursePack business to NAPC.  NAPC also has purchased the existing manufacturing and production facilities at 300 North Zeeb Road, Ann Arbor, MI 48103.  ProQuest will lease space from NAPC until it moves to its new building in Ann Arbor in 2006.

ProQuest Information and Learning is a world leader in collecting, organizing, and publishing information worldwide for researchers, faculty, and students in libraries and schools. Known widely for its strength in business and economics, general reference, humanities, social sciences, and STM content, the company develops premium databases comprising periodicals, newspapers, dissertations, out-of-print books, and other scholarly information from more than 8,500 publishers worldwide.  Users access the information through the ProQuest® Web-based online information system, Chadwyck-Healey™ electronic and microform resources, UMI® microform and print reference products, eLibrary®, SIRS® and Voyager Expanded Learning educational resources.  For more information about ProQuest Information and Learning, visit www.il.proquest.com.

ProQuest Information and Learning is a business unit of ProQuest Company (www.proquestcompany.com), which was twice named one of the top 100 fastest growing technology companies in the United Statesby Business 2.0 and one of the 200 best small companies by Forbes Magazine.

NAPC is a newly established company that includes three lines of business, UMI®Periodicals, XanEdu®, and Microfilm and Digitization Services with extensive microfilm and digital content production capability.  It was formed through the firm’s acquisition of the established business units from ProQuest Information and Learning, which determined these long time profitable businesses are not part of its future strategic growth plans, and the manufacturing capability for microfilm and digital content.

NAPC serves the library, government and commercial markets in the United Statesas well as internationally.