HUNTSVILLE, Ala. – Jan. 28, 2002 – Sirsi Corporation announced today that the H.W. Wilson Company, the renowned provider of online and print bibliographic and biographical reference materials to libraries worldwide, will provide Sirsi's iBistro Electronic Library with Wilson's Book Review Digest, a complete database of fiction and nonfiction book review excerpts that date back to 1984. The Book Review Digest includes review excerpts and abstracts from a wide variety of sources, including The New York Times Book Review, Harper's, The New Yorker, People, The Chicago Tribune, The New Republic, and The San Francisco Chronicle. This announcement was made at the American Library Association's 2002 Midwinter Meeting.

The Sirsi-Wilson alliance enables libraries to supply users with online access to reviews and abstracts of a wide variety of fiction and nonfiction. When iBistro users open a bibliographic record of possible interest, they will be able immediately to read reviews of works they are considering rather than searching separate publications for information.

Laura Dawson, Sirsi's director of content development, commented, "The relationship between H. W. Wilson and Sirsi will provide library users everywhere with access to the very best, most complete information on the books they are searching for. The addition of Book Review Digest to the content being offered through iBistro is a real coup for patrons."

Deborah Loeding, Vice President of Sales and Marketing for H. W. Wilson, noted, "Wilson is delighted to be working with Sirsi. iBistro is a great tool, and with the addition of Book Review Digest, users gain greater insight into a work of interest in a single search. This relationship brings Book Review Digest to the patron in a highly usable and creative way."

The H.W. Wilson Company (www.hwwilson.com) is an icon in the library community and a leading provider of information resources form more than 100 years. Wilson serves academic, public, school, and special libraries with over 50 specialty databases available via WilsonWeb and CD-ROM. Popular titles include the Readers' Guide family of references, Biography Reference Bank, and Library Literature & Information Science Full Text.

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.