25,000 Proquest titles released in Michigan/Oxford deal

The full text of more than 25,000 titles from the ProQuest resource Early English Books Online (EEBO) are now openly available on the websites of the University of Michigan Library and the Bodleian Libraries at the University of Oxford.

The new open-access titles are the result of work of the Text Creation Partnership (TCP), a longstanding effort to transcribe early modern print books, creating standardised, accurate XML/SGML encoded electronic text editions. Through funding from ProQuest, Jisc and a collective of libraries, these text files are jointly owned by more than 150 libraries worldwide, creating a significant database of foundational scholarship.

'This is a significant milestone for TCP and we’re very excited for this slice of EEBO to be available to anyone with an interest in the Early Modern era,' said Susan Bokern, ProQuest vice president for information solutions. 'Broad access is what ProQuest founder Eugene Power envisioned more than 70 years ago when he worked with the British libraries to microfilm these rare, important works. The ongoing work of the TCP is a great benefit for EEBO users. Access to the transcribed, native-language full text alongside images and bibliographic detail drives improved research outcomes.'

'Jisc is proud of the financial support it has provided to the Text Creation Partnership over a number of years. We look forward to the open access transcriptions being used to support new research efforts across the digital humanities, beyond even those that have been made possible by the availability of Early English Books Online,' said Lorraine Estelle, executive director digital resources and divisional CEO Jisc Collections.

'The release of this material is not only a boost to the availability of research data, but a welcome contribution to Jisc’s work in support of open access across the disciplines.'