[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index][Thread Index]

INGRAM INDUSTRIES INC.NEWS RELEASE



INGRAM INDUSTRIES INC.
NEWS RELEASE
Monday - December 18, 2006
CONTACTS:

Keel Hunt (615) 321-3110 keel@tsgnashville.com
David Lindley +44 (0)1425 471160 dlindley@couttsinfo.com
___________________________________________________________________________

Ingram enters academic library supply field
acquiring Coutts Information Services and MyiLibraryTM

NASHVILLE, TN - Ingram Industries Inc. today announced its 
acquisition of Coutts Information Services and its MyiLibrary 
affiliate - heralding Ingram's entry into the academic library 
supply business.

Coutts is based in the United Kingdom and has offices in the 
United States, Canada and Holland. The company specializes in 
book and electronic content supply to academic, government, 
corporate, public and institutional library and information 
sectors. In August, Coutts was awarded a major three-year 
contract with Stanford University to provide comprehensive 
approval plans (with an integrated e-book service). Coutts will 
supply over 50,000 titles to the university annually.

Coutts also recently contracted with the University of Toronto to 
supply electronic content through the MyiLibrary platform, in 
addition to the existing approval plans. John R. Ingram, Vice 
Chairman of Ingram Industries Inc., welcomed the Coutts team and 
said the marriage will offer a high level of service and 
expertise to academic librarians.

"The Coutts team is well known for its strengths and high level 
of service to librarians," Mr. Ingram said. "This will accelerate 
our service in the important academic library field, providing 
the highest level of wholesale, distribution, information, and 
print-on-demand services."

Jim Chandler, President and CEO of Ingram Book Group, noted the 
impressive range of services provided by Coutts in North America. 
"This is a market we have never before served directly," Mr. 
Chandler said. "Coutts has developed a broad range of 
library-centric digital and physical services that will provide a 
great platform for the future. Ingram has long served other 
retail and library markets, offering the broadest range of titles 
and fast, consistent and accurate fulfillment. This rounds out 
our service to academic and professional libraries throughout 
North America."

MyiLibrary is a unique e-book hosting platform offering access to 
the world's leading digital content collections. It is used by 
academics, researchers and professionals and is considered an 
indispensable reference tool for all businesses and institutions 
looking to provide their users with access to the most current 
digital content available today. Librarians use MyiLibrary to 
build multi-publisher collections of titles in the same way they 
have done with print publications.

The MyiLibrary announcement follows Ingram's recent acquisition 
of Vital Source Technologies, Inc. of Raleigh, North Carolina. 
Vital Source is a leading provider of digital content delivery 
solutions in education and professional learning environments.

James Gray, CEO of Coutts, today commended Ingram's long 
tradition of innovation in the book industry and its emergence in 
the past decade additionally as a leader in providing digital 
content delivery services to both publishers and librarians.

"We are delighted to join the Ingram family of companies," Mr. 
Gray said. "Ingram has a well-deserved reputation, 
internationally, for its great record of committed service." 
Coutts will continue operations at its current locations in 
Canada, the U.S. and Europe.

ABOUT INGRAM INDUSTRIES INC.

Ingram Industries Inc., based in Nashville, Tennessee, is one of 
America's largest privately held companies. It consists of 
diversified businesses in distribution, marine transportation, 
aggregate supply, and digital fulfillment services. Ingram 
Industries Inc. includes four operating divisions: Ingram Marine 
Group, Ingram Book Group, Lightning Source Inc. and Ingram 
Digital Ventures.

ABOUT COUTTS INFORMATION SERVICES

Coutts is based in Ringwood in the United Kingdom. The company's 
services include the supply and full shelf-ready processing and 
cataloging of print monographs, the provision of standing order 
and approval plan services along with full seamless ILS 
integration covering both print and electronic content. Coutts 
supplies services to over 5,000 customers in more than 100 
countries, positioning Coutts at the forefront of today's rapidly 
changing information supply industry.

- end -