The year was 1941—a year that saw the premieres of Orson Welles’ film Citizen Kane and Walt Disney’s animated Dumbo, along with Joe DiMaggio’s record-breaking 56-game hitting streak. Mount Rushmore was finally completed after 14 years in the making, and the attack on Pearl Harbor led to the United States’ entry into World War II. It was the year that saw the births of Vice President Dick Cheney, Senator Bernie Sanders, and singer-songwriters Bob Dylan, Paul Simon, and Art Garfunkel.
It was a world that had not yet seen the dawn of iPhones, iPads, eBooks, streaming video, social media, or even widespread TV use. Facts On File, Infobase’s oldest brand, was just starting off on the beginning of its 75-year (and going strong!) commitment to deliver high-quality, curriculum-based reference content to schools and libraries. Known in its early days for its encyclopedias and trademark On File® binders, Facts On File has since greatly expanded the depth and breadth of its list. And by keeping its product formats cutting-edge, relevant, and always with a focus on the customers’ evolving needs, it has become a leader in the digital educational market with a wealth of eBooks, research databases, and streaming video products.
“We are incredibly and deeply proud to have played such a meaningful role in the growth of educational technology over the past 75 years,” said Mark McDonnell, president and CEO of Infobase, now the parent company of Facts On File and other esteemed brands. “One of our core strengths, I believe, is the combination of our flexibility—as we continually find powerful and fresh new ways to deliver the highest-quality reference content for which we’re known—with a steadfast commitment to never sacrifice that quality in the process.”
That flexibility is evident in Infobase’s transition over the years from a leading publisher of print products for the school and library market to an award-winning producer of digital reference content for that same audience. The acquisition of Ferguson’s, a career reference publisher, in 2003, Chelsea House in 2007, and The World Almanac® in 2009 provided Facts On File with a wide range of valuable material to use in creating new databases and enhancing existing ones. The acquisitions of Films Media Group (FMG) in 2007 and Learn360 in 2012 allowed Facts On File—and Infobase, which was created as a parent company for Facts On File and all of its acquired brands—to greatly expand its online offerings, integrating FMG’s wealth of video content into Facts On File’s existing online reference databases and developing new products such as eLearning Modules and new streaming video and media subscriptions.
Fast-forward from the World War II era to the present day, when Infobase counts upwards of 24,000 titles and 270,000 video clips in its streaming video collections; thousands of titles in its comprehensive eBook collections; research databases in a range of core subject areas; tools for flipped learning, blended classrooms, and project-based instruction; and a wealth of awards, honors, and starred reviews—Library Journal Best Databases, Booklist Editors’ Choice Reference Sources, Choice Outstanding Academic Titles, The ComputED Gazette’s EDDIE and BESSIE Awards, among countless others.
Mr. McDonnell added, “We thank all of the libraries and educational institutions who have supported us in our shared goals over the past 75 years, and we look forward to the next 75!”
About Infobase:
Infobase is one of America’s leading providers of supplemental educational materials to the school and library markets. Founded in 1941, our company has a long history of publishing award-winning and highly acclaimed resources for K–12 schools, academic institutions, and public libraries. We take pride in creating products that engage, enhance, and enrich the learning experience of students at all levels. And while we still publish individual print and video titles, we now embrace the efficiency and expediency of digital formats in the form of online databases, eLearning Modules, eBook collections, and streaming video collections.
