Wiley Acquires Blackwell
Posted On Nov 29 2006I finally broke down and created a “Mergers & Acquisitions” category, which if things continue will easily be one of the bigger categories on this blog. In a deal valued at over $1 billion, John Wiley & Sons has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire the outstanding shares of Blackwell Publishing (Holdings), Ltd. (Blackwell, Ltd., the library book vendor and retailer, remains a separate entity and is not part of the acquisition.) The two companies’ 2005 revenues combined were roughly $750 million. Rene Olivieri, CEO of Blackwell Publishing and Wiley’s Steve Smith, senior vice president of international development and …
Ex Libris and Endeavor Merge
Posted On Nov 21 2006Francisco Partners, the company that bought Ex Libris Corporation this year, has announced that it will also purchase Endeavor Information Systems from Reed Elsevier. The two companies will be merged and run under the Ex Libris name and senior management, led by Matti Shem Tov. In a press release issued today (pdf), Shem Tov states, “Leveraging the extensive experience and technologies as well as the dedicated, skilled staff of both companies, we will now be even better equipped to provide our customers with next-generation library products. We welcome Endeavor’s customers to the Ex Libris community and, with this important acquisition, …
Children’s (e)Book Week
Posted On Nov 17 2006I did something really radical for Children’s Book Week this year–I read a book to a group of children! It was my second time being invited to Olds Elementary in Raleigh, and with no offense to my Libraryland colleagues, it was once again one of the most rewarding speaking engagements of my career. I think I have even hit upon a recipe for success for talking to the kids in Mrs. Gordon’s media center (I still wish they would call it a library). I talk about being a writer, about being a reader. I tell them that if you can …