Readex Launches Crossroads: A Community for Students, Teachers & Scholars

New online tool blends the past and present to enhance the value of primary source collections

JANUARY 7, 2008 (NAPLES, FL) - Readex, a leading publisher of online historical collections, announces the release of Crossroads, an innovative new resource that enables students, teachers and scholars to apply 21st-century tools to the study of the past. Crossroads lets researchers—working alone or in groups—provide background and commentary on digitized books, newspapers, government documents and other materials in online collections. By also helping users create scholarly communities, Crossroads facilitates research, encourages debate and promotes the sharing of ideas and discoveries.

“More than a social network, Crossroads provides an interactive communications channel between librarians and their constituents,” says Remmel Nunn, Vice President for New Product Development. “Librarians will learn more about what students are studying, and students will learn more about the resources their library offers. Researchers will be able to participate in an archived and fully attributed scholarly debate, and teachers will be able to create innovative courses and even multi-institutional projects.”

Crossroads meets a variety of academic research, teaching and collaboration needs. Researchers can use it to organize and annotate online research materials, tag and bookmark documents for easy reference and permanently save ongoing projects. For individuals interested in collaborating with others—whether around the world or within an institution—Crossroads acts as a platform for posting new research findings and sparking scholarly discussion.

“Crossroads will allow researchers to harness collective intelligence,” says Michelle Harper, Director of Product Management. “And by creating a collaborative space for discussion and debate, it will create better and richer experiences for all who draw on the power of online primary source collections to study history, literature, culture and related areas.”

About Readex
For more than 50 years, the Readex name has been synonymous with research in the humanities and social sciences using historical printed materials and government documents. Recognized by librarians, students and scholars for its efforts to transform academic research at all levels, Readex offers a wealth of Web-based, primary source materials. Today, Readex, a division of NewsBank, has established a leadership position among publishers by creating the digital Archive of Americana, a cohesive family of authoritative collections that provides unprecedented access to the history, literature, culture and daily life of the United States over more than three centuries.

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For more information or to speak with a Readex expert, contact Readex Marketing Director David Loiterstein by calling 1.203.421.0152 or emailing dloiterstein@readex.com.