Berkery, Noyes & Co. advises ProQuest Company in its purchase of SIRS Publishing, Inc.

New York, July 23, 2003 — Joseph Berkery, President of Berkery, Noyes & Co. announced today that his firm represented ProQuest Company (NYSE: PQE) in its purchase of SIRS Publishing, Inc. (SIRS). SIRS publishes SIRS Researcher, SIRS Discover and SIRS Enduring Issues. They are the leading provider of online, CD-ROM and print reference databases to more than 50,000 libraries worldwide with a focus on social, science and global issues.

ProQuest is a leading publisher of value added information and content for the library, classroom, automotive and powersports markets. Through their Information and Learning segment, which primarily serves the library and classroom markets, they aggregate and publish value-added content from a wide range of sources including newspapers, periodicals and books. Their Business Solutions segment is primarily engaged in the delivery in electronic form of comprehensive parts and service information to the automotive market.

Berkery, Noyes & Co. clients range from small firms, seeking a buyer, to most of the major international information companies, who use the firm’s expertise in locating, analyzing and negotiating with acquisition candidates, as well as in managing divestitures. The firm operates with a staff of twenty-two professionals serving the information and publishing industry from offices in New York, Boston, and San Francisco.