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Dialog Now Offering Access to Rapra Abstracts
OnDisc Division Launches New CD-ROM for Polymer Research

CARY, N.C., May 14, 2001 — Dialog, a leading provider of online-based information services and a subsidiary of The Thomson Corporation (TSE:TOC), has launched a new CD-ROM title, in collaboration with Rapra Technology Ltd., called Dialog OnDisc® Rapra Abstracts. OnDisc Rapra Abstracts provide current information relating to rubber, plastics, and associated industries.

"Both Dialog and Rapra Technology have high expectations for this product," said Rien van den Hondel, technical manager at Rapra Technology's Electronic Information Group. "The addition of Rapra Abstracts to the Dialog OnDisc range unites the world's largest database dedicated to the polymer industries with Dialog's powerful search interfaces."

The new CD-ROM title contains content dating back to 1972 and is a vital source of both practical and theoretical research data for scientists working in the fields of rubber and plastics.

Source materials include over 500 journals, together with conference papers, patents, books, reports, and press releases. Content is compiled from international resources, with source material in a wide range of languages from over 30 countries in areas such as North America, Australia, Europe, and Asia. More than 1,200 new records are added with each bimonthly update.

"We're very pleased to strengthen our hard sciences product set by offering the world's leading rubber and plastics database as part of the OnDisc/Dialog@Site™ collection," said Sjoerd Vogt, general manager of the OnDisc division of Dialog. "We're looking forward to a long and mutually beneficial collaboration with Rapra Technology."

All Dialog OnDisc CD-ROMs are compatible with DOS, Macintosh, Windows, or Web platforms and can be loaded and accessed in a variety of ways to suit the organization or individual user. Single or multiple CD-ROMs can be used via a stand-alone or networked computer, loaded onto a conventional LAN/WAN, or accessed via a Web browser over an intranet, using the Dialog@Site intranet software. The cost of an annual subscription with unlimited access to the CD-ROM is $7,940 (stand-alone).

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About Dialog
Dialog is the worldwide leader in providing online-based information services to organizations seeking competitive advantages in such fields as business, science, engineering, finance and law. Its products and services, such as Dialog®, Profound® and DataStar™, offer organizations the ability to precisely retrieve data from more than 800 million unique records, accessible via the Internet or through delivery to enterprise Intranets. For almost three decades, Dialog's brands have been known for their breadth and depth of content, precision searching and speed. The Winter Corporation recently recognized Dialog for its breadth and depth of content when they named the company the Grand Prize-winner in the Database Scalability Program 2000.

Headquartered in Cary, N.C., USA, with direct operations in 30 countries, Dialog products are used by more than 20,000 corporate customers in over 100 countries. Dialog is a subsidiary of The Thomson Corporation, a leading global e-information and solutions company in the business and professional marketplace with 2000 revenues of approximately $6 billion. The Corporation's common shares are listed on the Toronto (TSE:TOC) and London stock exchanges.

For more information about Dialog, call 1-800-3-DIALOG or visit www.dialog.com. For more information about Thomson, visit www.thomson.com.

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All designated trademarks used herein are the property of The Dialog Corporation or its subsidiaries. Registered marks are registered by The Dialog Corporation or its subsidiaries, U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. All other marks are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners.

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