Adam Matthew Digital announces landmark deal with the Pennsylvania Academic Library Consortium Inc. (PALCI) including free access for k-12 schools in the School District of Philadelphia

Adam Matthew Digital (AM Digital) is pleased to announce a new access deal with the Pennsylvania Academic Library Consortium Inc. (PALCI), providing all 70 member institutions with access to the publisher’s range of primary source collections published through the end of 2018. From American History, 1493-1945 to Gender: Identity and Social Change, and Age of Exploration to Victorian Popular Culture, all 70 participating institutions will now gain full access to nearly 100 individual products and millions of pages of primary source content.

With this new agreement, all members of the PALCI consortium will receive unlimited ongoing access to the portfolio of collections, as well as access to training tools and additional user support. Alison Bradley, Director, Strategic Initiatives at PALCI, said of the deal: “At PALCI, we highly value the role our consortium plays in sharing resources across our diverse community of libraries. This partnership offered us a unique opportunity to leverage our individual members’ previous investments in AM Digital collections, and bring in new participation from others, opening up access to this distinctive collection of valuable primary source resources for faculty and students at every one of our 70 member libraries.”

An additional feature of the deal, championed by the University of Pennsylvania Libraries, one of PALCI’s members, sees the deal extended to all K-12 schools in the School District of Philadelphia, providing access to digital primary sources at no cost to the K-12 schools themselves. The deal allows teachers across all age ranges and subject areas to integrate primary sources into their students’ course of study. In an age of social media and fake news, primary source analysis has become a vital skill, and the availability of this collection will positively impact these schools for years to come.

The University of Pennsylvania Libraries’ Associate Vice Provost for Collections & Scholarly Communications Brigitte Weinsteiger, a member of PALCI’s Collections Advisory Council, had previously invested in purchasing the AM Digital collections for the University of Pennsylvania faculty, staff and students, and served as a strong advocate in bringing these valuable materials to all other PALCI members and the School District of Philadelphia. "I'm delighted that PALCI and AM Digital were able to reach an agreement that brings rich primary source collections, in a convenient, searchable digital format, to enhance student learning and fuel faculty research at the many diverse institutions across the consortium."

Ben Cartwright, Executive Director, North American Sales at AM Digital: “We’re proud to share the news of this landmark deal with the PALCI consortium which covers nearly 100 individual AM Digital products. Recent events have shown us all the value of providing high-quality digital content and the real impact it can have in supporting both in-person and e-learning across all ages and levels. We are especially excited about the positive impact this deal will have on students across Philadelphia-area K-12 schools. The study of history and the social sciences provides so many important life skills – particularly around critical thinking which is ever-more important in the social media age. Skills we hope many will continue to build throughout their college careers and beyond.”

Over the coming months, the Sales and Outreach teams at AM Digital will work with PALCI member institutions and k-12 educators to help them make the most of their access and effectively integrate into their teaching.

For more information on the partnership, contact Meredith Godby ( meredith@amedu.com)