Reed Elsevier Sells R.R. Bowker

Posted on September 5, 2001

R.R. Bowker, a publisher of bibliographic information, has been acquired by Bethesda, Md.-based Cambridge Information Group, Inc. (CIG). CIG has completed a transaction that transfers ownership of R.R. Bowker from Reed Elsevier to Cambridge. Immediately upon closure of that deal, Information Today acquired ownership of a number of Bowker reference titles from Cambridge.

Cambridge is acquiring the lion's share of the R.R. Bowker assets and will continue to do business under the Bowker brand. The Cambridge purchase includes the publishing rights to the flagship Books In Print family of products, Ulrich's Periodical Directory, Library and Information Science Abstracts, and a number of other reference, abstracting and indexing, and periodical products.

``This acquisition will allow us to fully deploy some of the exciting product development strategies we have been pursuing at Bowker over the last few years,'' said Michael Cairns, the newly appointed general manager of R.R. Bowker. ``Cambridge Information Group is an ideal partner for us because they bring to bear significant organizational resources and a deep understanding of the bibliographic publishing industry.''

Information Today, Inc. will become the official owner and publisher of what Bowker called its ``directory'' products. These directories serve the library, publishing, bookselling, and AV markets and include the following titles: Literary Market Place, International Literary Market Place, American Book Trade Directory, American Library Directory, Annual Register of Grant Support, The Bowker Annual Library and Book Trade Almanac, Library Resource Guide, AV Marketplace, and American Men & Women of Science. A number of backlisted titles were acquired as well and will be reviewed for possible publication in the future.

Information Today, Inc. is a publisher and conference organizer in the library and information industry. Tom Hogan, Sr., president of Information Today, Inc., said, ``These Bowker titles are among the most respected reference works in our field, and we are delighted to be the new publisher. We are pleased to be inheriting a dedicated and skilled editorial staff that knows how to get high-quality products out the door. We hope this acquisition will serve as a springboard to additional products and services for the library and book trade communities.''