MINNEAPOLIS, Minn., and HUNTSVILLE, Ala., January 24, 2001—A partnership between Sagebrush Corporation and Sirsi Corporation brings K–12 libraries nationwide a new centralized library solution, the Accent library management system.

Powered by technology developed at SIRSI and sold exclusively by Sagebrush, Accent is now available to the K–12 market—as outlined in an agreement signed January 10, 2001. Accent offers K–12 school libraries and media centers an affordable, easy-to-use, integrated central solution that provides students fast online access to information around the corner and around the world. An effective solution for school districts of all sizes, Accent is available for the Windows NT® server platform. Accent features a web-based Internet Public Access Catalog (IPAC) for catalog searches both in and out of the library, graphical search interfaces, a cataloging and inventory module, a circulation module, and other tools to streamline searching and library management tasks.

"Thanks to this ongoing partnership, we can immediately deliver a powerful, quality centralized library automation product to the K–12 market," said Jim Zicarelli, CEO of Sagebrush. "We recognized SIRSI for its tremendous technology expertise and its reputation for developing powerful centralized solutions for libraries."

"SIRSI has always been committed to providing school libraries with the most comprehensive library automation products," said Patrick C. Sommers, President of SIRSI. "Thanks to Sagebrush's standing in the market, SIRSI technology will be available more widely than ever before. This agreement means we will be even better positioned to continue developing leading-edge software for school libraries. Together, we immediately become the market leader of library automation products for the K–12 library market. Both SIRSI and Sagebrush customers will now be able to enjoy future advances in technology at a much faster pace."

With the addition of the Accent system, no other single K–12 education technology solutions provider can match Sagebrush in providing solutions that fit the current and future needs of the smallest school libraries and the largest districts. Sagebrush will also continue its long-standing tradition of supporting customers throughout all phases of automation with top-rated expert technical support, consultation services, and training options for Accent.

Accent provides school districts of all sizes an effective centralized solution for their libraries and media centers.

• Accent provides ideal speed and performance with a Windows NT server at the district site and IPACs at each local site that eliminate the need to install and update Online Public Access Catalog (OPAC) client software. Accent dramatically reduces the bandwidth necessary to support hundreds of catalog search stations throughout the district.
• Accent's powerful web-based IPAC lets students search the entire school district, multiple locations within the district at once, or a single school. Students can then display individual records, place reserves for materials, and generate Interlibrary Loan (ILL) requests—enhancing resource sharing throughout the school district.
• Accent is a timely education solution, as many school districts are currently implementing high-speed wide area networks (WANs). Because Accent allows fast, efficient sharing of resources throughout a district, Accent is an investment in technology that has a direct impact on learning.
• Accent reduces the workload required for technical staff. Accent is managed from one central location, so technicians can more easily install, manage, and update the system. And although all data is stored centrally, Accent segments the data logically by location (individual school), so there is no loss in data or reporting autonomy.
• Accent makes data more consistent throughout the district because a single cataloging procedure is used for all materials in all schools (rather than distinct styles at each individual school).
• Accent lets library professionals play a reduced role in maintaining automation hardware and software, allowing them to spend more time working directly with students.
• With Accent's multilingual interfaces—available throughout the entire system—library professionals in libraries across the entire North American continent can best serve all students' diverse research needs.
• Accent offers the options of authority control, materials booking, acquisitions, serials control, and a copy cataloging utility in addition to the features library professionals expect, like a user-friendly interface, icon-based searching, easy cataloging, and integration of electronic resources.

Zicarelli said he is confident that the addition of Accent to Sagebrush's industry-leading product line will help K–12 libraries continue to effectively serve the educational needs of students everywhere. "Sagebrush customers will enjoy the broadest possible range of product options now and in the future. We will continue to evolve as their libraries evolve," he said. "As for Sagebrush, we can offer a new high-quality central product today, and provide even more product enhancements to improve library efficiency in the future."

Thanks to this new ongoing partnership that unites SIRSI technology products with Sagebrush's extensive market reach, SIRSI can now dedicate even more development resources to school library products—providing SIRSI and Sagebrush customers alike with future advances in technology at a much faster pace.

Accent is now available to the K–12 market. For more information, contact Sagebrush Corporation at 1-800-533-5430.

About Sirsi Corporation

Sirsi Corporation is a privately held company founded in 1979 with headquarters in Huntsville, Alabama; 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. SIRSI provides products and services that help libraries of all types and sizes serve their users with the industry's most complete library management system, plus innovative Internet and digital media solutions for libraries.

About Sagebrush Corporation

Sagebrush Corporation is a fast-growing leader in serving K–12 library media specialists in their efforts to provide access to information, stimulate interest in reading, improve performance, and manage information across the education process. Headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Sagebrush features library automation solutions including Accent, Athena, the Winnebago Spectrum Suite, Econo-Clad Books, and Sagebrush Library Services.