LONDON (November 1997) - The Library at the Natural History Museum has chosen the Unicorn Library Management System to provide an integrated library management solution to replace their existing URICA library system.

The Unicorn system will be installed in January under UNIX on a Sun Ultra Enterprise 450 and will provide access to OPAC services through the World Wide Web via WebCat. Access to staff functions will be via a Graphical User Interface. The library plans to be one of the first users in Europe of WorkFlows, the latest client from SIRSI. Modules purchased include OPAC, cataloguing, authority control, circulation, inter-library loans, acquisitions and serials control. SmartPORT will be used to capture bibliographic data from Z39.50 sources worldwide.

The Natural History Museum library contains the world's richest collection of information artifacts about the natural world, with over one million volumes, 10,000 current journals, some half a million art images, and extensive collections of archives, rare books and manuscripts. The Museum has chosen Unicorn because in addition to providing an excellent level of user access to this wealth of Library information, it will seamlessly integrate with the Museum's advanced specimen collection management system currently being developed using Informix Universal Server.

Together, these systems should ensure that by the new millennium, users interested in natural history will be able to search Museum, Library and Archive information held both within and outside the Museum, through use of emerging world standards.

SIRSI, founded in 1979, is a privately held company with headquarters in Huntsville, Alabama. SIRSI uses the most advanced technology available to provide easy-to-use information systems for libraries, businesses, and archives.