ebrary update

[Ann Okerson <ann.okerson@yale.edu>]

>From Arnold Hirshon of NELINET:

---------- Forwarded message ----------
Wednesday July 25, 9:05 am Eastern Time
Press Release
SOURCE: ebrary

CONTACT: Marty Moe of ebrary, +1-650-230-0752, or marty.moe@ebrary.com; or
David Conti of 
Learning Network, +1-617-542-6500, ext. 1893, or
david.conti@learningnetwork.com. 

ebrary and Learning Network Launch First Public Beta of the ebrarian
Solution

E-Learning Company Incorporates ebrarian to Provide Users With Powerful
Research Tools and Authoritative Content

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., July 25 /PRNewswire/ -- ebrary(TM) ( www.ebrary.com
), the leading provider of software and services for the online delivery
of copyrighted content, and Learning Network ( www.learningnetwork.com ;
America Online Keyword: Learning Network), the Internet's premier
consumer-education source created by international media company Pearson
plc, today launched the first public beta of ebrarian(TM), ebrary's new
e-content solution for partners and customers. The co-branded site is
available now at http://learningnetwork.ebrary.com .

Learning Network has implemented the ebrarian solution to securely deliver
high-value business and economics titles to its communities of students,
consumers and professionals. Access is provided through Learning Network's
Infoplease reference site ( www.infoplease.com ). Using a model similar to
photocopying, Learning Network visitors pay only to print or copy the
information they need. Searching and browsing are free, and there are no
membership or subscription fees. Learning Network has also customized
ebrary InfoTools(TM) to link users to relevant information on the
Infoplease site. With InfoTools, any word or phrase a user selects can
link to research materials-including articles, definitions, biographical
information, statistics and more-on the Infoplease site.

``The ebrarian solution adds enormous value and gives us a competitive
edge,'' said Phil Hoffman, CEO of Learning Network. ``Visitors to our site
can now access high-quality copyrighted books-most of which have never
before been available on the Internet. We expect to see an increase in
site ''stickiness`` and customer retention, and our ability to customize
InfoTools encourages visits to other parts of our site.''

``Learning Network is a leader in the e-learning space and provides
valuable services and information to its customers. The ability to promote
our publishing partners' business and economics books through the Learning
Network benefits the publishers, Learning Network and its patrons. It's
the perfect opportunity for us to launch our technology and services,''
said Christopher Warnock, CEO of ebrary. ``Our partnership with Learning
Network marks the first step toward reaching our goal of making
authoritative, copyright-protected content widely available over the
Internet.''

The ebrarian Solution

ebrary partners with the world's leading publishers and academic presses
including Random House, McGraw-Hill, Pearson plc, Taylor & Francis,
Cambridge University Press, MIT Press, Yale University Press and many
others to develop online collections in major vertical subject areas. By
combining this high-value content with powerful research and comprehension
software, ebrary offers a powerful and flexible solution for e-content
delivery.

Publishers, special interest Websites, Internet portals, libraries and
e-learning providers can tap new online markets and increase revenues by
making their own content securely available online, accessing relevant
content from ebrary's collection or combining content from both. Partners
can leverage ebrary's unique photocopy model, where customers pay only for
printing or copying the information they need without subscription or
membership fees, or determine a payment model appropriate to their
businesses. ebrary shares revenues with publishers and other content
providers and its partners.

The ebrarian solution includes ebrary InfoTools, which provide advanced
e-commerce, research, comprehension and navigation capabilities at the
word level.

Price and Availability

ebrarian is available now to customers and partners in the U.S. and U.K.
Pricing varies according to the organizations' individual requirements,
including customization and hosting services. For more information call
650-230-0700 or visit www.ebrary.com.

About Learning Network

Learning Network, the Internet's largest website for parents, students and
teachers, offers an unmatched array of online educational tools, content,
and reference resources. Learning Network is part of Pearson, plc (NYSE:
PSO - news) the London-based international media company, which also owns
leading educational and media companies including Pearson Education,
Penguin Books, and the Financial Times. For more information, call
1-888-816-1999, or visit www.learningnetwork.com on the Internet (America
Online Keyword: Learning Network).

About Pearson plc

Learning Network is a part of Pearson plc, the international media
company. Its major business operations are: The Financial Times Group,
which has an international network of business and financial newspapers
and online services that are read by millions of business executives and
investors every day; Pearson Education, the world's leading education
business, which helps teachers teach and students learn at every stage and
in every part of the world; Penguin Putnam, which is one of the
pre-eminent names in consumer publishing, with an unrivalled range of
fiction and non-fiction, bestsellers and classic titles; and Recoletos,
one of the top media companies in Spain. Pearson also owns a 22% stake in
the RTL Group, Europe's leading integrated broadcasting and communications
group. For more information, go to www.pearson.com.

About ebrary

ebrary develops software and services for the secure online delivery of
copyrighted content. The ebrarian solution combines powerful research and
comprehension software with a rich online library of copyrighted books,
journals, periodicals and more that can be freely indexed by search
engines via ebrary's open access model. Publishers, special interest
Websites, Internet portals, libraries and e-learning providers benefit
from the ability to tap new online markets and increase revenues through
the distribution of high-value content. ebrary is privately held and is
funded by Random House Ventures LLC, Pearson plc and McGraw-Hill. For more
information, visit www.ebrary.com.

NOTE: ebrary, ebrarian and web (C)ontent are trademarks of ebrary, Inc.