<P> In 1988 Grolier was purchased by the French media company Hachette, which owned a well - known French - language encyclopedia, the Hachette Encyclopedia . Hachette was later absorbed by the French conglomerate the Lagardère Group . </P> <P> A CD - ROM version of the encyclopedia was published in 1995 . Although the text and images were stored on separate disks, it was in keeping with standards current at the time . More importantly, the work had been digitized, allowing for release of an online version in 1997 . Over the next few years the product was augmented with additional features, functions, supplementary references, Internet links, and current events journal . A redesigned interface and partly reengineered product, featuring enhanced search capabilities and a first - ever ADA - compliant, text - only version for users with disabilities, was presented in 2002 . </P> <P> The acquisition of Grolier by Scholastic for US $400 million, took place in 2000 . The new owners projected a 30% increase in operating income, although historically Grolier had experienced earnings of 7% to 8% on income . Staff reductions as a means of controlling costs followed soon thereafter, even while an effort was made to augment the sales force . Cuts occurred every year between 2000 and 2007, leaving a much - depleted work force to carry out the duties of maintaining a large encyclopedia database . Today, Encyclopedia Americana lives on as an integral database within the Grolier Online product . </P> <Ul> <Li> Frederick Converse Beach, 1902--1917 . Engineer and editor of Scientific American magazine . </Li> <Li> George Edwin Rines, 1917--1920 . Author and editor . </Li> <Li> A.H. McDannald, 1920--1948 . Reporter (Baltimore News and Baltimore Evening Sun), editor, and author . </Li> <Li> Lavinia P. Dudley, 1948--1964 . Editor (Encyclopædia Britannica and Encyclopedia Americana) and manager; first woman to head a major American reference publication . </Li> <Li> George A. Cornish, 1965--1970 . Reporter (New York Herald Tribune) and editor . </Li> <Li> Bernard S. Cayne, 1970--1980 . Educational researcher (Educational Testing Service, Harvard Educational Review), editor (Ginn & Co., Collier's Encyclopedia, Macmillan) and business executive (Grolier Inc .). </Li> <Li> Alan H. Smith, 1980--1985 . Editor (Grolier / Encyclopedia Americana) </Li> <Li> David T. Holland, 1985--1991 . Editor (Harcourt Brace, Grolier / Encyclopedia Americana). </Li> <Li> Mark Cummings, 1991--2000 . Editor (Macmillan, Oxford University Press). </Li> <Li> Michael Shally - Jensen, 2000--2005 . Editor (Merriam - Webster / Encyclopædia Britannica). </Li> <Li> K. Anne Ranson, 2005--2006 . Editor (Academic American Encyclopedia, Grolier Multimedia Encyclopedia). </Li> <Li> Joseph M. Castagno, 2006--present . Editor (Grolier / Lands and Peoples, New Book of Popular Science). </Li> </Ul>

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