Texas Schools Get Britannica Online

Market Wire, October, 2007

Encyclopaedia Britannica's online reference and learning services for schools have been selected for use in all public schools in Texas, the company announced today.

Following a competitive selection process, the Texas State Library and Archives Commission ( www.tsl.state.tx.us ), with the assistance of a review panel of Texas librarians, chose Britannica. According to officials at the commission, Britannica was chosen "based on content and interface evaluations in addition to comments from the K-12 school library community made during statewide trials."

This means that every public school in the state will have unlimited access to Britannica Online School Edition ( http://school.eb.com ) beginning December 1.

They'll also receive Britannica's online reference resources in Spanish, Korean, Japanese, Chinese and French.

Texas State Librarian Peggy Rudd said, "It's extremely important to give students access to authoritative and current reference resources if we want them to succeed academically. We're excited to bring quality online resources to Texas public schools."

A comprehensive reference and learning resource for grades K-12, School Edition serves students of every grade with four complete encyclopedias, including Encyclopaedia Britannica and Compton's, as well as atlases, dictionaries, timelines, Web links, periodicals and rich multimedia.

It also includes extensive classroom learning materials and other resources that help teachers plan and teach lessons. All of the materials are aligned to the curriculum standards of every state.

Additionally, the service now includes Britannica Learning Zone, a site that provides students in preschool through grade 2 with a rich trove of activities for learning and exploration.

"We're honored by the trust Texas has placed in us, and we're thrilled to be serving every public school student in the state," said Michael Ross, a senior vice president and general manager of Britannica's education division. "Education experts in the Lone Star State have helped us develop a product that brings value to the classroom for every grade. From alignment with curriculum standards to new Spanish-language resources for younger students, input from educators has been crucial to developing great products, and I'm happy to see that they recognize we've succeeded."

The Texas subscription, funded by the Texas Education Agency Technology Allotment through a budgetary allocation from the state legislature, will mean that all of the state's schools, regardless of their individual resources, will be able to give high-quality reference sources and learning materials to all of their students. Every public school student in the state will have access to Britannica, and teachers, students, and their families will be able to use it at home.

Other schools or districts interested in Britannica's products, including online resources from Britannica Digital Learning, can go to www.eb.com or call 1-800-621-3900.

About Encyclopaedia Britannica

Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc. ( www.eb.com ) is a leader in reference and education publishing whose products can be found in many media, from the Internet to cell phones to books. A pioneer in electronic publishing since the early 1980s, the company also still publishes the 32-volume Encyclopaedia Britannica, along with services such as Britannica Online School Edition and new printed products such as Britannica Student Encyclopedia. Britannica's editorial operation is overseen by some of the world's most distinguished scholars. The company makes its headquarters in Chicago.

Contact: Tom Panelas Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc. 312-347-7309 Email Contact