PROVO, Utah, August 21, 2009 – SirsiDynix, the world leader in library automation technology, announces the release of SirsiDynix® Horizon™ 7.5 and Horizon Information Portal™ (HIP) 3.20. The Horizon integrated library system (ILS) continues to be used by thousands of libraries across the world. This software release supports crucial database upgrades and infrastructure improvements to both Horizon and HIP.

Horizon 7.5 provides support for Microsoft SQL Server 2008 and Sybase ASE 15, giving an upgrade path for Horizon customers running older versions of Microsoft SQL Server and Sybase ASE. HIP has been enhanced to support the latest development environments including Java SE 6, JBoss 4.2.3 and Jetty 6.1.12. These new versions of JBoss and Java also make it possible to take advantage of 64-bit systems, including Microsoft Windows 2008 and Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5.0.

Although a major emphasis has been placed on infrastructure improvements for Horizon and HIP, the release also delivers the following enhancements:

• Horizon SIP2 Responder. This product replaces previous versions of the SIP server, and provides faster and more reliable interaction with SIP-based products.
• HIP Search Limit capability. Search limiting has been improved to clearly display search limits or filters which have been applied, and allow easy removal of them to broaden search results.
• Horizon Floating Collection functionality for consortia. For those library consortia which have some locations that want to participate in using Floating Collections, and some that do not, Floating Collections can now be restricted to specific item loan types and locations, in addition to collection settings.
• Tighter integration of Debt Collect administrative tools. Debt Collect administration has been integrated with the Horizon launcher, taking full advantage of the Horizon staff user interface and security features.
• Over 50 other software improvements. Details of these improvements are included in the Horizon 7.5 Release Notes.

Numerous customers participated in extensive beta testing of Horizon 7.5 during two separate beta testing phases. Horizon 7.5 was also tested in production at customer sites such as Bellingham-Whatcom County Library Consortium prior to general availability. Robin Barker, Support Services Manager at Whatcom County Library System, said, “We were excited about upgrading to Horizon 7.5 and HIP 3.20. The upgrade made it possible for us to buy new servers and install Horizon using Microsoft SQL Server 2008 and Microsoft Windows 2008. We were particularly happy with the enhancement to floating collections, which now allows consortial libraries like ours to float materials within our own branch libraries.”

Talin Bingham, Chief Technology Officer, stated, “The Horizon 7.5 and HIP 3.20 release demonstrates our continued support for the Horizon platform and our Horizon customers, by providing a means to upgrade to the latest database versions.”

For more information about SirsiDynix Enterprise, contact your SirsiDynix sales consultant or email sales@sirsidynix.com.

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About SirsiDynix

SirsiDynix is the global leader in strategic technology solutions for libraries – vital institutions whose primary mission is to assist people in discovering and using knowledge, resources and other valuable content for their educations, jobs and entertainment. In concert with key industry partners, SirsiDynix supports this strategic role for libraries by offering a comprehensive integrated suite of technology solutions that improve the internal productivity of libraries and enhance their capacity to partner with their communities through the provision of state of the art library management systems (LMS) and search and discovery solutions. SirsiDynix serves approximately 4,000 libraries and consortia that provide services to over 300 million people through more than 20,000 library outlets in the Americas, Europe, Africa, the Middle East and Asia-Pacific. For more information, please see www.sirsidynix.com.