1930s

Eugene B. Power founds University Microfilms (1938)

Power establishes dissertation publishing program (1939)

1940s

Newspaper microfilming begins (1940)

UMI efforts during World War II

Power helps found the National Microfilm Association (1943)

Beginning of the Serials in Microfilm Program (1948)

UMI begins microfilming The New York Times (1949)

1950s

ARL recognizes UMI as publisher of record for all US dissertations (1951)

Introduction of STC II-Wing Project, a continuation of STC I, the original microfilmed collection of UMI (1957)

Beginning of the Books-on-Demand program (1958)

1960s

Xerox Corporation purchases UMI (1962)

Power helps found the International Micrographics Congress, now the Association for Information and Image Management (AIIM) (1963)

DATRIX (later renamed Comprehensive Dissertation Index) is created (1967)

1980s

Article Clearing House established (later renamed UMI InfoStore) (1983)

Bell & Howell acquires UMI, which becomes wholly owned subsidiary (1985)

UMI acquires Data Courier, a business-database publisher in Louisville , KY (1986)

Dissertation Abstracts Ondisc created, first abstract/index product on CD-ROM (1987)

ABI/INFORM Ondisc, and Newspaper Abstracts Ondisc, A&I databases on CD-ROM (1988)

UMI establishes a Preservation Division, capturing and preserving the Intellectual content being lost to material deterioration (1989)

Business Periodicals Ondisc created-first full-image periodical database on CD-ROM (1989)

1990s

Initiative to expand electronic rights acquisition begins (1992)

PowerPages introduced (1993)

Advanced Document Delivery Service (ADDS) introduced (later named to ProQuest Direct) for Windows (1995)

Dissertation Express-Web-based dissertation ordering service (1995)

UMI Acquires DataTimes Corporation in Oklahoma City (1996)

Information Industry Association names ProQuest Direct named Best Professional Online Product for 1996

Hundreds of full-text newspapers are added to UMI databases online (1996)

ProQuest Direct on the Web introduced (1996)

ProQuest Direct for Z39.50 introduced (1996)

UMI celebrates 1.5 millionth dissertation added to Dissertation Abstracts databases (1997)

Dissertations go digital with ProQuest Digital Dissertations (1997)

UMI and Dow Jones form long-term strategic alliance (1997)

Library of Congress recognizes UMI as offsite repository of Digital Dissertations Library (1998)

ProQuest Direct online system honored by the Smithsonian Institution (1998)

UMI introduces ProQuest SiteBuilder (1998)

Digital Vault Initiative announced (1998)

Bell & Howell Information and Learning enhances global presence with purchase of Information Publications International Ltd (1999)

UMI unveils new company name-Bell & Howell Information and Learning

Bell & Howell Information and Learning and Follett Higher Education Group make agreement to deliver coursepacks online (1999)

Bell & Howell Information and Learning acquires Chadwyck-Healey (1999)

Fortune Magazine names Bell & Howell Information and Learning website a “Top Internet Resource”

2000 & Beyond

Bell & Howell Information and Learning completes round of private funding for new K-12 Internet Education Company (bigchalk.com) (2000)

BHIL Higher Education division unveils new name: XanEdu.com (2000)

BHIL Acquires Custom Campus Publishing (CCP) (2001)

Bell & Howell changes name to ProQuest (PQE) (2001)

ProQuest acquires Heritage Quest (2001)

ProQuest acquires SoftLine Information, Inc. (2001)

ProQuest expands Digital Vault with Historical Newspapers (2001- 2004)

ProQuest acquires Micromedia Ltd. (2002)

ProQuest acquires MetaText (2002)

ProQuest acquires bigchalk, The Education Network (2002)

ProQuest acquires Norman Ross Publishing (2002)

ProQuest acquires SIRS Publishing (2003)

ProQuest named an Internet2 Collaboration Site (2004)

ProQuest acquires Copley Publishing (2004)

ProQuest acquires CultureGrams (2004)

ProQuest Company ranks as one of the top 100 Fastest Growing Tech Companies in Business 2.0 Magazine (2004)

ProQuest introduces Institutional Repository service (2004)

ProQuest acquires Serials Solutions (2004)

ProQuest® Smart Search Introduced(2004)

CSA Illumina Debuts (2004)

ProQuest sets digitalization records (2005)

ProQuest announces sale of periodical microfilm business (2005)

CSA acquires Community of Science, Inc. (2005)

CSA acquires the PapersInvited database (2006)

ProQuest donates "Shelter Library" to New Orleans Public Library (2006)

ProQuest Historical Annual Reports available (2006)

ProQuest launches digital collection of obituaries (2006)

Cambridge Information Group announces agreement to acquire ProQuest Information and Learning (2006)

ProQuest launches One Click searching (2006)

CSA introduces CSA Illustrata (2006)

Three ProQuest resources named CHOICE Outstanding Academic Titles for 2006 (2007)

Cambridge Information Group completes acquisition of ProQuest Information and Learning and creates a new, privately held independent company, ProQuest-CSA (2007)

ProQuest CSA launches marketing toolkit for public libraries (2007)

ProQuest Civil War Era available through ProQuest CSA (2007)

ProQuest CSA Announces New Company Branding. Company now operates under the name ProQuest (2007)