SirsiDynix Building Better Communities Awards Winners at ALA

SirsiDynix Honors Five Libraries for Building Better Communities
Organizations recognized for enterprising uses of technology, will receive US$10,000 each
NEW ORLEANS, June 24, 2006 – SirsiDynix, the global leader in strategic technology solutions for libraries, announced today the recipients of its Building Better Communities Awards, which recognize libraries for creative and enterprising uses of technology to improve their user communities.
The 2006 Building Better Communities Awards recipients are: Calgary Public Library, Calgary, Alberta, Canada; Delaware County Community College, Media, Pa.; Hamilton Public Library, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada; Hancock County Library System, Bay St. Louis, Miss.; and INFOhio, Columbus, Ohio. Each recipient receives US$10,000. The five recipients, as well as 10 other finalists, were recognized at a special ceremony today during the American Library Association Annual Conference.
“SirsiDynix established the Building Better Communities Awards to recognize library organizations and the important roles they play in their communities,” said Patrick C. Sommers, SirsiDynix chief executive officer. “The five recipient libraries and their staff members are excellent role models to libraries and librarians everywhere. Their outstanding efforts to create better places for us to live, work and learn should educate and inspire others to do the same. On behalf of the almost 700 employees of SirsiDynix worldwide, I congratulate these excellent institutions for their work.”
About 130 SirsiDynix North American libraries were nominated for the inaugural awards. A panel of independent library leaders from Canada and the United States pared the nominees down to 15 finalists. Five recipients were then chosen.
Carole Moore, chief librarian at the University of Toronto and a member of the selection committee said:
“The response to the Building Better Communities Awards is spectacular, and the quality of the nominations made the selection committee’s decision extremely difficult. The nominees included a mix of public, academic, K12, state and special libraries, and they ranged in size from large metropolitan libraries to small community libraries. Since there are no categories for these awards, this mix proves that libraries of all types and sizes can use technology to become indispensable to their communities and their users’ search for information and knowledge.”
The following are descriptions of how the recipients are using technology to reach their communities:
· Calgary Public Library – The library’s popular Open for All project explores computer technology with the underserved and socially excluded groups, as well as special needs and at riskchildren, teens and adults. These groups, without access to computers otherwise, gain experience with public access terminals, Internet connections and productivity software.
· Delaware County Community College – The library, working with the Department of Allied Health and Nursing, makes library resources available in software format for access by nursing students’ personal digital assistants (PDAs) during their hands-on clinical portion of their curriculum off campus.
· Hamilton Public Library – This project involves an innovative new Web site called myhamilton.ca, offering city services electronically to residents and business people. Through this site, http://www.myhamilton.ca/, Hamilton residents can connect to everything they need to know to live, learn, work and play in Hamilton.
· Hancock County Library System – In the postHurricane Katrina community of Hancock County, the public library led the way in restoring Internet connections and telephone service within its walls to help local residents communicate with friends and family, as well as with insurance companies, federal agencies and other recovery resources.
· INFOhio – Beginning as the dream of a few educators, INFOhio has evolved into a grassroots effort to provide all Ohio students with equal access to online resources and to promote statewideinformation sharing through a single library automation system and union catalog.
To learn even more about the Building Better Communities recipients, visit www.sirsidynix.com/awards.
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