Springer Unveils Revamped SpringerLink and New eBook Collection for Asian Universities and Libraries at IFLA World Library and Information Congress and Beijing Book Fair.

NEW YORK -- Springer Science+Business Media (www.springer.com), the world's largest science, technology and medicine book publisher, has launched the final version of its new online platform, SpringerLink (www.springerlink.com). The platform gives students and researchers electronic access to the recently-launched Springer eBook Collection. The Collection consists of more than 11,000 eBooks -- to which approximately 3,000 new titles will be added each year. Springer will showcase the new SpringerLink and eBook Collection at the IFLA World Library and Information Congress in Seoul, 20-24 August 2006, and the Beijing Book Fair from 30 August to 2 September 2006.

The new SpringerLink, launched in beta version earlier this summer, now integrates Springer content in one single user interface - more than 11,000 eBooks, millions of articles from Springer's peer-reviewed journals as well as eReference Works. In addition, SpringerLink now features a new, more powerful search engine to help researchers, librarians, and students find exactly the information that they need. Users can also enhance their research via the "My SpringerLink" personalization features which include, saved searches, RSS feeds of searches, saved articles and eBooks, etc.

"With the newly launched SpringerLink, users can easily access books and journals on one integrated platform to find exactly what they need to further their research. In addition, for our many Asian customers, the SpringerLink interface can switch to simplified Chinese language with the click of a button," said Peter Hendriks, President Global Sales & Marketing, Springer. "As more and more researchers and students grow comfortable with accessing and using digitized content - eBooks and articles - for their research, we've worked hard to deliver a platform to meet their needs. We look forward to demonstrating the new SpringerLink at the IFLA World Library and Information Congress and the Beijing Book Fair."

Springer will allow unlimited simultaneous access to eBooks for members of the purchasing library community. The eBooks' PDF and HTML documents are fully searchable and can be downloaded and printed. In addition, once a library purchases Springer's eBook collection, they own the book content for their use in perpetuity.

Libraries can purchase a complete collection of all Springer titles from a copyright year or they can choose to purchase one or more of 12 distinct topic categories (e.g., engineering, medicine, computer science, mathematics, etc.). Individual eBooks are available from retail partners.

Springer's new eBooks program will link to the Online Public Access Catalogue (OPAC), an instructional tool that enables students to quickly search a library's catalog from a computer station either in the library, or from an off-site computer. Finally, Springer has incorporated a wide variety of library and information standards into the new SpringerLink, including COUNTER Compliant, CLOCKSS Member, MARC 21 Records, Portico, and Federated Searching Compliant.

About Springer:

Springer is one of the leading international scientific publishing companies. It is the largest science, technology and medicine (STM) book publisher in the world with a reputation for excellence spanning over 160 years. Springer publishes on behalf of more than 300 academic associations and professional societies worldwide. The company publishes over 1,250 journals and 3,500 new book titles each year, in addition to offering an array of online services such as the online information platform SpringerLink. This is a preferred data source for researchers in academic and corporate institutions and other vital knowledge centers. Today, SpringerLink spans the universe of research with its peer reviewed journals as well as a constantly expanding library of eReference Works, eBooks and an Online Archive Collection. Springer is part of the specialist publishing group Springer Science+Business Media, which owns 70 publishing companies in more than 20 countries throughout the world and employs some 5,000 people.