Association of College & Research Libraries and Bowker Announce Launch of the New Resources for College Libraries (RCL) Web Site

New Providence, N.J. – October 31, 2006 – Bowker, publisher of Books In Print, and Choice Magazine, a publishing unit of the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL), have launched the online edition of the highly anticipated new Resources for College Libraries (RCL).

RCLweb, an online database of hand-selected core titles for academic libraries, is the successor to the American Library Association’s classic reference work, Books for College Libraries, which was also developed by Choice and last published in its third edition in 1988. This first-ever Web core list was put together by more than 350 academic librarians and faculty, each with expertise in his or her assigned area.

“College librarians have been eagerly awaiting the successor to Books for College Libraries for many years and we’re excited to be part of the team to bring RCL to the marketplace,” said Annie Callanan, president and chief executive officer of New Providence, N.J.-based Bowker. “Students, faculty, and library staff will all find RCLweb very user-friendly and easy to navigate. This new Web resource consists of a core list of more than 62,000 books and electronic resources in 58 subject areas, including interdisciplinary topics.”

According to Callanan, users are able to create, edit, and save lists that can then be emailed or downloaded and printed.

Other noteworthy features built into the new RCLweb product include:

• Easy searching by a variety of criteria, including author, subject, title, format, audience, and LC Classification Number
• Frequent updates to keep library collections current
• Time-saving tools such as the ability to look up items in a library’s catalog, using Bowker’s Hooks to Holdings feature
• More than 19,000 matching Choice reviews

The print edition of RCL will be available as of November 28, 2006. In addition, RCL content will be available in Bowker’s new collection analysis tool, Bowker’s Book Analysis System (BBAS), which will be accessible in November. For additional information, please go to http://www.rclinfo.net/.

About the ACRL
ACRL is a division of the American Library Association (ALA), representing more than 13,000 academic and research librarians and interested individuals. ACRL is the only individual membership organization in North America that develops programs, products, and services to meet the unique needs of academic and research librarians. Its initiatives enable the higher education community to understand the role that academic libraries play in the teaching, learning, and research environments.

About Bowker
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®, Books In Print IntelliMarket™, Syndetic Solutions™, Pubnet®, PubEasy™, Simba Information™, and more. In the U.S. and Puerto Rico, Bowker is also the 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.

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