In the first of two simultaneous agreements, seamless linking from the ProQuest online information system will be provided to the nearly 6,000 full-text e-journals available via Swets Blackwell's SwetsnetNavigator service. ProQuest CrossLinks technology and Swets Blackwell's multilevel linking technology will enable direct linking to articles in e-journals available via the SwetsnetNavigator system. Library customers who subscribe to both ProQuest and SwetsnetNavigator will be able to access their e-journal subscriptions directly through ProQuest.

"This linking agreement brings together two of the most widely used content-delivery systems for libraries around the world: ProQuest for full-text subscription databases and SwetsnetNavigator for e-journals," said Joe Reynolds, president and CEO of ProQuest Information and Learning. "Both companies provide quality sources, and the partnership is a great and natural fit. Libraries—our mutual customers—will soon be able to seamlessly link between the two systems to find the full text. This ability will greatly enhance the library user's experience. Finding information in one search rather than multiple searches in multiple sources makes for a more efficient and effective research process. This is a big win for ProQuest; Swets Blackwell; our customers; and their patrons, students, and faculty."

According to the announcement, customers who subscribe concurrently to ProQuest's ABI/INFORM database and SwetsnetNavigator will gain seamless access to nearly 200 more business and management journals. Subscribers to ProQuest's Medline with Full Text who have a concurrent subscription to SwetsnetNavigator will be able to link directly to some 1,500 additional health science journals.

In the second step of the partnership, Swets Blackwell has been appointed to distribute the ProQuest online information system to the corporate market in the U.S., Canada, and most countries in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. Swets Blackwell will also have broader nonexclusive distribution rights in the academic library market in most countries in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa.

Geert Visscher, CEO of Swets Blackwell, said: "By entering into this distribution agreement, we can further advance our ability to make available all the information required by our customers. Such a strategic partnership brings Swets Blackwell another step closer to fulfilling our goal of offering the highest level of quality services of any agent in the industry."

Source: Swets Blackwell, Lisse, Netherlands, 011-31-252-435-111; http://www.swetsblackwell.com and ProQuest Information and Learning, Ann Arbor, MI, 734/761-4700; http://www.il.proquest.com.