HUNTSVILLE, Ala. - March 6, 2002 – Drake University, consistently ranked by U.S. News & World Report as one of the Midwest’s top comprehensive universities, has selected Sirsi Corporation’s Link system to provide state-of-the-art service in its main and law libraries. The Drake libraries (www.lib.drake.edu) are upgrading from their current DRA Classic system to Link, which is configured especially for academic and research libraries.
According to Rod Henshaw, Drake University dean of libraries, "After careful consideration, we decided that the Sirsi Link system provided the range of capabilities we were seeking to further enhance library services for students and faculty- through a single Web-based interface providing access to the library and internet resources."
"This system also provides strong library access support to serve the needs of Drake’s fast-growing enrollment in Web-based distance learning courses," added Henshaw. Drake University currently offers more than 60 Web-based courses.
Drake University (www.drake.edu), located in Des Moines, Iowa, is a private university with an enrollment of approximately 5,000 that offers more than 70 undergraduate majors and graduate programs in its six colleges and schools.
Drake’s Cowles Library has a collection of approximately 600,000 items, online reference services and access to various electronic databases, information literacy instruction, and a fully equipped media classroom. It is named in honor of the late Gardner Cowles, a Drake benefactor and influential leader of the Cowles media family whose publications included Look magazine and the Des Moines Register.
Drake’s Dwight D. Opperman Law Library is an award-winning, state-of-the-art facility providing online access to Internet legal resources, Iowa legal resources, and research guides. Dedicated in 1993, the library is named in honor of Dwight D. Opperman, chairman emeritus of West Publishing. Opperman is a graduate of Drake Law School, a member of its Board of Trustees, and a long-time benefactor of the university.
Sirsi (www.sirsi.com) recognizes that today’s librarians are on a mission to break down walls-barriers that limit the knowledge and resources accessible to library users. A partner with leading libraries around the globe since 1979, Sirsi provides software and services that assist libraries in breaking down walls, thereby promoting learning, empowerment, and opportunity for diverse user communities.
