Albequerque, NM (March 20, 2006) -- In an essential step towards giving all residents of New Mexico access to up-to-date academic information and research knowledge, it was announced today that New Mexicans statewide can now enjoy free unlimited access to La Nueva Enciclopedia Cumbre as well as other reference resources from Grolier Online®— the extraordinary educational portal designed to make research easier and more productive. Cumbre is a product of Scholastic Library Publishing, a division of Scholastic, the global children’s publishing, education, and media company.  Accessible on site and at home to people of all ages, Cumbre will be available state-wide to public school students, customers of public libraries, and attendees of New Mexico’s institutions of higher learning. 
 
An online portal available at go.grolier.com, Grolier Online delivers proven educational content and value through a controlled environment that’s safe, easy to use, and supports the different learning styles of adults and children at every learning level. La Nueva Enciclopedia Cumbre is a comprehensive online Spanish-language reference resource.  It comprises 19,000 articles, 7,500 images, hundreds of tables and fact boxes, as well as many special features. 
 
What sets the program apart is that Cumbre contains two distinct learning portals.  The first, a suite of products designed for fluent Spanish speakers, includes an encyclopedia and a news archive culled from Spanish language media around the world. The second, designed specifically for children and Spanish language learners, is the Cumbre Aula de español ("Spanish classroom")—an environment which includes simplified articles on topics related to the Spanish-speaking world, in addition to other features to support Spanish-language learning.  Cumbre includes a text-only version (for people with disabilities), bilingual Help and About pages, print/e-mail functionality, and much more.
 
“New Mexico’s adoption of Cumbre is an important step in bringing access to quality research and information to Spanish speakers and learners in the state,” said Greg Worrell, President of Scholastic Library Publishing. “New Mexico is setting the standard for other states to bring equal access to reliable information to all citizens, and Scholastic is honored to be a part of this statewide implementation.”
 
“Grolier Online’s Cumbre is an invaluable resource that we offer free to the students, educators and patrons that utilize our libraries.  Its user-friendly model and comprehensive content will enhance the research and learning experience of all New Mexicans,” says Richard Akeroyd, New Mexico State Librarian, “The adoption of Cumbre in New Mexico is particularly important within the context of Governor Bill Richardson’s recent declaration of 2006 as ‘The Year of the Child’ in the State.  Governor Richardson’s new initiatives will help close the achievement gap in New Mexico’s schools, keep kids healthy, partner with parents, and retain quality teachers.”
 
Winner of the 2006 Notable Online Subscription Service Award from the Association for Library Service to Children and the Association of Educational Publishers’ Ed Press Distinguished Achievement Award, Grolier Online combines the best of a legacy of critically acclaimed, age-appropriate print sets with a wealth of additional resources available only in the online format in one powerful educational portal for students, teachers, librarians, patrons — anyone with an information need.
 
For more information about Grolier Online, visit Scholastic Library Publishing at go.grolier.com.
 
About Scholastic Library Publishing
Scholastic Library Publishing creates a multitude of products, both in print and online, for the school and public library market under the imprints of Grolier, Children's Press®, Franklin Watts®, and Grolier Online®. Children's Press offers primarily non-fiction series for elementary and middle schools, while Franklin Watts focuses on non-fiction for the high school market. Grolier publishes encyclopedias and is best known for the brands Encyclopedia Americana® and The New Book of Knowledge®.  Grolier Online is a self-contained, non-commercial electronic gateway offering thousands of resources for student research, including the Encyclopedia Americana Online, The New Book of Knowledge Online and the Spanish language encyclopedia La Nueva Enciclopedia Cumbre™ - serving more than 18 million students and teachers.
 
About Scholastic
Scholastic Corporation (NASDAQ: SCHL) is the world's largest publisher and distributor of children's books and a leader in educational technology.  Scholastic creates quality educational and entertaining materials and products for use in school and at home, including children's books, magazines, technology-based products, teacher materials, television programming, film, videos and toys.  The Company distributes its products and services through a variety of channels, including proprietary school-based book clubs, school-based book fairs, and school-based and direct-to-home continuity programs; retail stores, schools, libraries and television networks; and the Company's Internet site, www.scholastic.com.

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