Springer Launches eBook Program

["Dirks, Annika" <Annika.Dirks@springer.com>]

Springer Launches eBook Program

More than 10,000 eBook titles now available via relaunched 
SpringerLink online platform

Berlin / New York, NY - 29 June 2006

In a move that promises to accelerate the acceptance of eBooks 
and electronic publishing, Springer Science+Business Media 
(www.springer.com <http://www.springer.com/> ), the world's 
largest science, technology and medical book publisher, is 
launching a new eBook initiative that will allow students and 
researchers electronic access to more than 10,000 books.

Springer unveiled its new eBooks program at the American Library 
Association's annual conference in New Orleans this week. As part 
of its eBooks program, Springer has relaunched its online 
platform, SpringerLink (www.springerlink.com 
<http://www.springerlink.com/> ). The site now integrates 
Springer eBooks with millions of articles from Springer's 
peer-reviewed journals. This integration gives researchers easy 
access to book chapters which should lead to more academic 
citations of Springer's books.

"Our new eBooks integrate seamlessly into the new SpringerLink, 
making it possible for users to easily search through journal 
articles and eBooks," said Peter Hendriks, President Global Sales 
and Marketing, Springer. "With the ease of accessing eBooks, we 
will see greater usage of the many thousands of books that 
Springer publishes every year. Since users can find a specific 
book or chapter with only one click, libraries will see more and 
more of their patrons accessing the rich amount of information 
that Springer offers. In addition, we are convinced that academic 
citations of Springer's books will increase now that researchers 
can find relevant book chapters as easily as a recent journal 
article."

Springer will allow unlimited simultaneous access to eBooks. 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.). Approximately 
3,000 new eBooks will be published and available every year.

"With the new SpringerLink, our site and the new eBook content is 
fully search engine compliant. If someone searches for 
information via a commonly used search engine such as Google, 
MSN, Yahoo, our content will be included in the search results," 
said Olaf Ernst, Global Director of eBooks at Springer. "If a 
searcher's university or corporate library has purchased our 
eBooks, they'll be able to easily access the content. In 
addition, consumers can buy single eBooks via our distribution 
partners."

For librarians, 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.  In addition, Springer's eBooks will give librarians 
easy access to the thousands of books Springer publishes every 
year.

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 1,200 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.

Contact:

Jeff Rutherford
jeff@trylonsmr.com
413 369-4128

Eric Merkel-Sobotta
Springer Science+Business Media
eric.merkel-sobotta@springer.com
+49(0)1732602377