netLibrary and Houghton Mifflin To Launch Digital Textbook Initiative; MetaText Product Group to Develop and Manage Electronic College Texts

Business Wire, Nov 30, 2000

Business Editors/Education & Publishing Writers

BOULDER, Colo. & BOSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 30, 2000

netLibrary, the leading provider of eBooks and Internet-based content management services, and Houghton Mifflin Company, a leading educational publisher, today announced plans to launch a digital textbook initiative. netLibrary's MetaText division will create electronic versions of Houghton Mifflin College Division texts and, beginning in the fall 2001 semester, provide college students and instructors access to electronic textbooks through MetaText's interactive, Web-based learning platform.

Once transformed into MetaText editions, select Houghton Mifflin college titles will be available for review and adoption by instructors at colleges and universities throughout the United States. Instructors may adopt MetaText editions directly through their existing Houghton Mifflin sales representatives in the spring of 2001 for use in classes beginning in the fall semester of 2001. Plans are underway to include additional Houghton Mifflin titles via the MetaText platform in following semesters.

"We are thrilled to be taking another step into the future of online learning with MetaText," said June Smith, executive vice president, Houghton Mifflin College Division. "Houghton Mifflin is committed to offering our customers the freedom to choose between reading materials in print or online. We chose MetaText to help us achieve our digital textbook goals because of the pedagogical value of the MetaText platform and the scalability of netLibrary's conversion, hosting, and serving infrastructure."

MetaText editions contain all essential components of a textbook, including words, photographs, charts, and graphics. MetaText editions organize text into conceptual units rather than arbitrary page breaks. The MetaText platform features a variety of tools to benefit both instructors and students. With MetaText, instructors can build online course syllabi, manage class rosters, annotate text, and make class announcements that are instantly viewable by students. Students using MetaText can take advantage of a host of features to search, navigate, annotate, highlight, and bookmark their online texts.

Students have their own unique home pages that serve as a portal to all of their MetaText resources associated with the course, including the syllabus, text, announcements, and additional reading materials. Communication tools built into the MetaText platform facilitate instructor-to-student and instructor-to-class feedback.

Houghton Mifflin Company and netLibrary have joined forces on a number of initiatives, reflecting Houghton Mifflin's commitment to expanding the reach of its content and services beyond traditional channels. Numerous Houghton Mifflin Trade & Reference titles are available as eBooks to netLibrary's institutional customers. Additionally, the two companies worked together to integrate The American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition, into netLibrary's online eBook experience.

"Houghton Mifflin and netLibrary have an outstanding track record of cooperation in creating businesses that take advantage of digital publishing and distribution," said netLibrary Vice President of Publisher Relations Herb Hilderley. "I am happy to announce that, through MetaText, we are taking that relationship one step further into the realm of full-featured, Web-based digital textbooks."

About Houghton Mifflin Company

Houghton Mifflin Company is a leading publisher of textbooks, instructional technology, assessments, and other educational materials for elementary and secondary schools and colleges. The company also publishes an extensive line of reference works and fiction and nonfiction for adults and young readers. The company's Internet site can be found at www.hmco.com.

About MetaText

MetaText was founded in 1998 to help publishers, instructors, and students harness the power of the information age. MetaText creates Web-based digital textbooks that provide instructors and students with a full range of interactive learning tools. In March 2000, MetaText was acquired by netLibrary (www.netLibrary.com), the leading provider of eBooks and Internet-based content management services. For more information, go to www.MetaText.com.