|
120 School and Public Libraries in Puerto Rico Will Be Automated with the
SIRS Mandarin M3 Library Automation System in the Project's Initial Phase
Boca Raton, FL, January 12, 2000 - On Tuesday, December 14 at the Tropimar Beach Club in Carolina, Puerto Rico, Secretary of Education of Puerto
Rico Victor Fajardo presented Project SABER (Electronic Libraries Network Automation Systems), Puerto Rico's island-wide centralized school and public library automation network. Fajardo also announced the selection
of SIRS Mandarin, a Boca Raton, Florida-based library technology firm, to provide library automation initially to 120 libraries in Puerto Rico. Over 400 librarians, educators and administrators attended the event.
Project SABER, developed and implemented by the Department of Education of Puerto Rico, is part of the Department's efforts to revolutionize the
educational process in Puerto Rico. More than 640,000 students and 1,500 libraries are projected to benefit from Project SABER, which is supported by State and Federal funding provided by the Library Services and
Technology Act (LSTA) and Technology Literacy Challenge Funds.
With an initial funding of $4.3 million, Project SABER aims to provide all Puerto Rico public schools and libraries with access to a centralized
library automation system, new audiovisual and technology equipment and access to SIRS electronic databases.
|
Puerto Rico Secretary of Education Victor Fajardo (left) officially inaugurates one of the Department of Education’s Bookmobiles.
Fajardo is accompanied by Elliot and Eleanor Goldstein of the educational publishing company SIRS Mandarin, Inc. |
In the project's initial phase, SIRS Mandarin, Inc. will supply SIRS Mandarin M3 library automation networkable software, Web
Gateways for Children and Adults, technical support and training to 102 school libraries and 16 public libraries. These libraries will be able to access an island-wide Union Catalog via central servers
located in the Department of Education. Additionally, SIRS Mandarin will provide and install all the necessary computer hardware (servers, workstations, printers, etc.) to the individual sites
and the central office in San Juan.
Project SABER's initial phase will be completed in the year 2000. Applications from Puerto Rico libraries to join the project are
currently being accepted by the Department.
"We expect this ambitious project, the only one of its kind in Latin
America, to radically change the school and public library system in Puerto Rico," Fajardo stated. "Project SABER will allow students from every socioeconomic level to have equal access to the
information they need. This will broaden their horizons and complement their education."
|
