Microsoft Announces Bookshelf 98, the Ideal Communicators’ Companion

REDMOND, Wash., July 21, 1997 — Want to drive home your sales pitch with the perfect word? Struggling to find a pertinent quote to add impact to your report? The answers are just a click away with the new Microsoft® Bookshelf® 98 CD-ROM reference library, announced today. This latest edition offers quick and easy access to a world of information that will add polish and professionalism to written communications.

On a single CD, Bookshelf 98 provides a comprehensive information storehouse with 10 essential reference tools offering definitions, quotes and synonyms, as well as multimedia elements such as videos and animation. Bookshelf 98 helps writers communicate more effectively and makes documents more interesting, persuasive, well-supported and thorough.

“Today’s communicators demand integrated solutions that make creating any type of communication easier and less time-consuming,” said Craig Bartholomew, general manager, reference business unit at Microsoft. “For that reason, we have focused on developing new features in Bookshelf 98 that enhance and streamline the creative process, both on the PC and through the Internet.”

The QuickShelf
™information retrieval tool offers a perfect example. This completely redesigned feature provides users with an “icon” in the lower right corner of the screen when working in the Windows® 95 operating system, enabling instant access to the wealth of information available in Bookshelf 98. Writers will find this much more efficient because they don’t have to leave their current application to find the ideal word. A single mouse click pulls up three “quick” tools – QuickDefine, QuickQuote and Quick Zip Code – designed to increase productivity and put the appropriate definition, quote or zip code at the writer’s fingertips.

Bookshelf 98 also introduces the Premier Web Search powered by InfoSeek that makes searching beyond the CD a snap. Users today are bombarded by an overabundance of information that changes daily, and they are looking for ways to cut through the clutter. The Bookshelf Premier Web Search provides links to more than 400,000 quality Web sites editorially selected by Bookshelf and InfoSeek, saving countless hours of searching through the Internet. Writers with Internet access can now quickly extend their search to the Web, find exactly the information they need, and get right back to the task at hand.

Since its initial launch in 1987, Bookshelf has received more than 20 prestigious awards and is frequently cited by professionals, students and teachers as the essential CD-ROM tool for their reference libraries.

“Bookshelf is an invaluable library without walls,” said Pam Berger, coordinator of learning technologies at Byram Hills School District in Armonk, New York. “Other reference materials are very expensive and difficult to keep up to date. With Bookshelf, educators and parents can cost-effectively give students up-to-date reference sources to take advantage of those teachable moments – at school and home.”

New and Completely Updated Features Make Communicating Easier Than Ever

In addition to the revised QuickShelf and Premier Web Search, Bookshelf 98 incorporates the most popular requests from users of Bookshelf into the most complete, easy-to-use reference library available. The new edition features the following:

  • QuickFootnote. Automatically creates a footnote and adds the supporting citation to the document in Microsoft Word or Works

  • Bookshelf Premier News. Extends searches to MSNBC or other leading news sources on the Internet for the latest world and local news, sports and weather

  • Parental Control. Allows parents and teachers to block articles and words that they consider inappropriate for children

  • Improved article indexing. More clearly identifies search results, with the most relevant items listed first

  • 360-degree views. Provides the ultimate multimedia experience by allowing selected images to be viewed from all angles

  • Support for Microsoft IntelliMouse. Owners of the IntelliMouse
    ™
    pointing device can use the wheel to scroll through articles easily.

Quick and Easy Access to Top-Quality Reference Tools

Bookshelf 98 provides 10 reference works that facilitate the creative process, with updated versions of the following:

  • The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, Third Edition

  • The Microsoft Bookshelf Internet Directory 98

  • The new Encarta® 98 Desk Encyclopedia, a condensed version of the Encarta multimedia encyclopedia

  • The Encarta 98 Desk World Atlas

  • The Original Roget’s Thesaurus of English Words and Phrases

  • The World Almanac and Book of Facts 1997

  • The Columbia Dictionary of Quotations

  • The People’s Chronology

  • The National Five-Digit Zip Code and Postal Office Directory

  • The new Microsoft Bookshelf Computer and Internet Dictionary.

  • Microsoft Bookshelf Computer and Internet Dictionary (new). A thorough understanding of computers and the Internet can give business people and students a competitive edge. Microsoft’s new Computer and Internet Dictionary provides users with more than 7,000 computer and Internet terms, so they can better understand computer topics and enhance their proposals and research projects.

  • Encarta 98 Desk Encyclopedia (new). The Bookshelf 98 Edition uses the
    Encarta 98 Desk Encyclopedia, the condensed version of Microsoft’s award-winning Encarta multimedia encyclopedia. It includes more than 16,000 entries, many with animation, music clips and pictures. Users can round out their research and find interesting facts on numerous subjects, including geography, history, law, politics, international affairs, science, sports and the arts.

Free Teacher’s Activity Guide

Microsoft also provides a free Teacher’s Activity Guide on the World Wide Web at (http://bookshelf.MSN.com/) (connect-time charges may apply). This valuable resource enhances and extends the learning experiences in Bookshelf 98, including a hands-on introduction and suggested student activities. Bookshelf 98 in the classroom can be a valuable tool for teaching children important research skills.

Product Availability and System Requirements

Microsoft Bookshelf 98 is scheduled to be available in July for the Windows 95, Windows NT® and Macintosh operating systems for approximately $54.95. Licensed users of previous versions of Bookshelf can receive a rebate ($10 U.S. or $15 CDN) from Microsoft on the new version, and schools and other educational institutions can obtain the new version at a discount through the Microsoft Open License Pack program.

To run Bookshelf 98 for Windows, users need the following:

  • Multimedia PC with a 486SX/33 MHz or higher processor

  • Windows 95 operating system or Windows NT Workstation operating system version 4.0

  • 8 MB of memory for Windows 95, or 12 MB for Windows NT

  • At least 10 MB of available hard disk space

  • Double-speed or faster CD-ROM drive

  • Super VGA 256-color monitor.

To run Bookshelf 98 for Macintosh, users need the following:

  • Any Apple Power Macintosh or Macintosh computer with a 25 MHz 68030 or higher processor that supports a 256-color, 640×480 (13-inch) or higher monitor

  • System 7.1 or later

  • 8 MB of memory

  • At least 10 MB of available hard disk space

  • Double-speed or faster CD-ROM drive

  • 256-color, 640×480 (13-inch) or higher resolution monitor

An audio board with headphones or speakers and a Microsoft Mouse or compatible pointing device are strongly recommended. A modem and Internet access is required for Internet links. For more information about Bookshelf, visit the Bookshelf World Wide Web site at (http://bookshelf.MSN.com/) .

Founded in 1975, Microsoft (NASDAQ
“MSFT”
) is the worldwide leader in software for personal computers. The company offers a wide range of products and services for business and personal use, each designed with the mission of making it easier and more enjoyable for people to take advantage of the full power of personal computing every day.

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