Softlink partners with ProQuest Learning to broaden schools’ access to online learning resources

The partnership enables Softlink Europe to provide a range of ProQuest Learning resources to the library specialist’s existing 3,500+ primary and secondary schools clients. Under the arrangement, Softlink will also provide ProQuest services to new library customers, enabling UK education establishments to rely on Softlink to provide a high quality, one-stop solution for online resources and library management systems.

ProQuest’s National Key Account Manager for schools, Sean McKone, says, "ProQuest is a leading player in online learning resources to schools. We chose to partner with Softlink as the market leader in the UK schools market for library software, unrivalled in their combination of ease-of-use and powerful range of management and user functions."

Alasdair Darroch, Managing Director of Softlink, confirms the significance of this move for Softlink, "Libraries today should provide a range of media and resources for learning, and this agreement with ProQuest enables us to provide another method to help our growing number of school library customers to achieve their challenging learning support objectives."

Links between Softlink library management solutions and ProQuest Learning resources are further strengthened by the fact that both suppliers are approved under the Curriculum Online initiative from the Department for Education and Skills (DfES). Curriculum Online represents a £100m investment (2005/06) by the DfES to improve access to digital learning resources for teachers and pupils. Under the scheme, schools are allocated eLearning Credits (eLCs) which can be used to purchase both ProQuest Learning resources and Softlink’s Alice and Oliver library management solutions.

ProQuest Learning is a family of online, curriculum-based resources designed to support teaching, learning and independent study. All ProQuest Learning resources are approved as part of the National Grid for Learning (NGfL) and meet standards of education value and quality.

The ProQuest resources consist of online texts, references, video and audio clips, online lessons, links, MARC records for download into library catalogues, and much more. For teachers there are lesson plans, worksheets, activities and schemes of work.

Softlink’s schools customers can now achieve closer and easier integration of ProQuest’s online learning resources range with Softlink’s choice of schools library management solutions, which will extend the impact of library services to pupils and provide students with a more comprehensive learning resource base. Customers using Softlink’s Windows and Web-based schools solutions – Alice and Oliver – will be able to make ProQuest resources available to their pupils via their library catalogue.

The following ProQuest market-leading online resources will be available directly to Softlink clients:
• ProQuest Learning: Library – an online cross-curricular resource for library and classroom
• ProQuest Learning: Literature – resources for English and Drama, including 3000+ author biographies
• ProQuest Learning: News – national and regional news archive, including ½ million articles
• ProQuest Learning: History - interactive lessons, class kits and digitised resources
• ProQuest Primary: Library – dynamic resource which supports literacy across the curriculum

Visit the Softlink Europe stand, number 84, at the Online Information Exhibition and see the power of ProQuest Learning resources and Softlink library management solutions working together. Online Information is being held at Olympia Grand Hall, London from 29th November to 1st December 2005.
- ends-


NOTES TO EDITORS:

Softlink Europe
Library technology specialist Softlink invests in research and development to provide library technology for the 21st century and to offer a suite of products that offers unlimited possibilities for education, public, corporate and special libraries. The product range includes Alice and Oliver for school libraries, and Liberty3 for the corporate, special and higher education sectors. Limes Library Automation Software including Millenia and Evolution and pi Primer has now become the responsibility of Softlink Europe Ltd.

With 20 years of experience and over 10,000 installations of library management solutions worldwide in libraries in a variety of sectors, Softlink Europe is well placed to implement quickly and efficiently from its Oxford and North of England offices. The library automation specialist has a UK-based support and development team and is a firm believer in investment in research and development to provide library technology for the 21st century.
www.softlink.co.uk

www.proquestlearning.co.uk

www.curriculumonline.gov.uk
www.ngfl.gov.uk
www.online-information.co.uk

For further information, please contact:
Catherine Dhanjal, TheAnswer Ltd Tel: 0208 655 0953 or 0794 166 9925
Email: catherine.dhanjal@theansweruk.com