LAKE CHARLES, La. (Jan. 7, 2000) - The Calcasieu Parish Public Library (CPPL), which serves citizens throughout southwest Louisiana, has selected Sirsi Corporation's Unicorn™ Library Management System to automate the its main library and 13 branches. According to Loretta Gharst, CPPL Technical Services Librarian, "We selected SIRSI to make using the library's computer system easier for our patrons. The Unicorn system is quicker and better than our previous system and provides in one place all the information our patrons need."
Gharst commented that the Unicorn system will also enable CPPL to provide a wider range of services and access for remote users. "Once the system is in place, all area public schools will be able to access our catalog via the Internet. Over the next year, we will implement SIRSI's TalkToMe telephone notification system so patrons can renew books and place holds by telephone. They will also be able to place holds and book conference rooms online."
Opened in 1904 with a collection of 706 volumes, CPPL today houses more than 400,000 items, including books, magazines, audio-visual materials, books-on-tape, compact discs, videotapes, software, public PCs and online databases. Its Southwest Louisiana Genealogical and Historical Library includes contains family records on most of the American states with special emphasis on Louisiana, Texas and Mississippi.
SIRSI, the leader in library technology, is a privately held company founded in 1979, with headquarters in Huntsville, Ala. SIRSI uses the most advanced technology available to provide easy-to-use information systems for libraries, businesses and archives. With offices in major U.S. cities and subsidiaries in Australia, Canada, Latin America, the Middle East, the Peoples Republic of China and the United Kingdom, the company has established its Unicorn products as the leading client/server library information systems in the world.
