8.21.2006 - 11:07am ET

(CSRwire) Beijing - Elsevier (www.elsevier.com), a leading scientific, technical and medical publisher, today announced the sponsorship of Qinghai University and Tibet University in China with 12-month complimentary use of ScienceDirect (www.sciencedirect.com), Elsevier's online platform including over 2,000 STM full-text journals. The two universities will also enjoy access to Scopus (www.scopus.com), Elsevier's award-winning abstract and citation database. This initiative forms part of Elsevier's support of an ambitious array of Chinese programs to develop the nation's far-west provinces such as Qinghai and Tibet.

In 2005, Lee Pui Lee, Sales Director, China, Science & Technology, Elsevier initiated a proposal to donate a year of ScienceDirect and Scopus to the far-western universities with the Deputy Director of Tsinghua University Library, Yang Yi,. This initiative was later joined by 12 additional international publishers and vendors, including: Cambridge Scientific Abstract, Inspec, ProQuest Information and Learning, Springer, Thomson Scientific, iGroup, ACM, SIAM, Swets, John Wiley, EBSCO and Thomson Gale.

To ensure that researchers at both universities are gaining the best possible use of the sponsored, databases, training sessions have been conducted on the campuses in Xining and Lhasa. The response has been overwhelming. Qinghai University Library Director Chen Wei expressed his gratitude towards all the companies, "This donation has greatly expanded the scientific resources available to our users".

"Elsevier is honored to extend access to ScienceDirect and Scopus to the researchers of Qinghai University and Tibet University, who will join the 500,000 researchers elsewhere in China, and 10 million worldwide, who use our platforms," noted Sharon Ruwart, Managing Director China, Science & Technology, Elsevier, "Connecting researchers in China's far west to their counterparts in the larger scientific community will enhance their ability to contribute innovative research to China's development."

Yang Yi, Deputy Director of Tsinghua University Library, remarked, "This initiative has tremendously supported the research collection development of the far-west region by broadening the perspectives of teaching professors and students on high-quality international literatures. So far, the responses from researchers at these two universities have been great. On behalf of Qinghai University and Tibet University, I would like to express our sincere gratitude to all 13 companies for offering 1-year access to over 40 databases in total. I hope there will be more publishers and other information providers who support universities from poorer regions in China in accessing wider range of academic information."

A ceremony was held on 11 August 2006 at Qinghai University and on August 14th at Tibet University to commemorate the year of sponsorship. During the ceremonies, Elsevier also presented a total of 124 of the company's most prestigious book titles, valued at US$20,000.

Victor Lam, Managing Director, Greater China, Health Sciences, Elsevier, commented, "We are also very pleased to contribute our renowned medical books to the Qinghai and Tibet Universities as part of our efforts to facilitate advanced health information sharing in China." Tibet University Library Director Shi Jian Ming said "Elsevier's donation will greatly expand the collection of our library, providing information we need to promote scientific research."

About Elsevier
Elsevier is a world-leading publisher of scientific, technical and medical information products and services. Working in partnership with the global science and health communities, Elsevier's 7,000 employees in over 70 offices worldwide publish more than 2,000 journals and 1,900 new books per year, in addition to offering a suite of innovative electronic products, such as ScienceDirect (www.sciencedirect.com), MD Consult (www.mdconsult.com), Scopus (www.info.scopus.com), bibliographic databases, and online reference works.

Elsevier (www.elsevier.com, http://asia.elsevier.com or http://china.elsevier.com ) is a global business headquartered in Amsterdam, The Netherlands and has offices worldwide. Elsevier is part of Reed Elsevier Group plc (www.reedelsevier.com), a world-leading publisher and information provider. Operating in the science and medical, legal, education and business-to-business sectors, Reed Elsevier provides high-quality and flexible information solutions to users, with increasing emphasis on the Internet as a means of delivery. Reed Elsevier's ticker symbols are REN (Euronext Amsterdam), REL (London Stock Exchange), RUK and ENL (New York Stock Exchange).

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