Abc-Clio

ABC-CLIO is an academic reference publisher founded in 1955, based in Santa Barbara, USA. The company was acquired by UK-based Bloomsbury Publishing in 2021 for $22.9 million.

ABC-CLIO employs approximately 500 staff across North America and Europe. Their primary business is publishing reference materials and educational databases for schools and libraries.

Education is central to everything they do. The company serves K-12 schools (Primary and Secondary in the UK), higher education institutions, and public libraries.

ABC-CLIO offers 17 school databases covering social studies topics. These include American History, World Geography, and American Government.

The databases contain over 230,000 primary sources and reference entries. Content includes audio, video, photographs, maps, and rich media.

The company also publishes reference books through four imprints. These are ABC-CLIO, Greenwood, Praeger, and Libraries Unlimited.

Their catalogue includes over 23,000 titles in print and digital formats.

Schools and Education Markets

They primarily focus on middle and high school students in grades 7-12. The school databases are designed for social studies curriculum support.

Content is aligned to US state and national standards including Common Core. The company also serves academic libraries at colleges and universities.

ABC-CLIO's customer base is primarily in the United States. However, the Bloomsbury acquisition is expanding their international reach.

International schools can contact dedicated sales teams for UK, Europe, Middle East, Africa, Asia, and Australasia. The company offers free 30-day database trials for schools worldwide.

Data Protection and Security

The company does not collect personally identifiable information from students without consent. Users can opt out of data collection by contacting customer service.

The company's privacy policy does not explicitly address GDPR compliance. Specific information about data storage locations is not publicly disclosed.

Security certifications such as ISO 27001 are not mentioned in their documentation. Schools requiring detailed data protection assurances should contact ABC-CLIO directly.