National Ground Intelligence Center will rely on SirsiDynix for its library automation

The National Ground Intelligence Center in Charlottesville, VA, a unit of the U.S. Army Intelligence and Security Command, intends to award a sole source software maintenance contract to SirsiDynix Corp. to continue maintaining the Center’s library automation system, which has been in use for nearly two decades.

The scientific and technical information library automation system, or STILAS, provides libraries with enhanced bibliographic and inventory controls, better public access, and multiuser gateways.

“For more than 30 years, libraries have used SirsiDynix technologies to bring the power of their collections to their communities,” explains the company on its own Web site. “Our story began when Northwestern University developed a system to automate its library card catalogs in the 1960s. Since then, we have been a committed partner to libraries around the world, employing technology that allows librarians to do more than just keep track of their collection. Today, more than 23,000 library facilities in more than 70 countries use our products and services to bring the power of knowledge and information to 300 million users worldwide.”

The National Ground Intelligence Center is the Defense Department’s primary producer of ground forces intelligence.

“NGIC produces scientific and technical intelligence and military capabilities analysis on foreign ground forces required by warfighting commanders, the force modernization and research and development communities, Defense Department and national policymakers,” explains the Army agency.

“NGIC’s general military intelligence mission focuses on foreign ground forces from the operational through small-unit level, maintaining detailed knowledge of current foreign ground force capabilities as well as a focus of five, 10 and 20 years in the future,” the agency continues. “It includes irregular and conventional warfare analysis examining foreign ground forces from a perspective that includes battlefield operating systems, doctrine, tactics, techniques and procedures, training, maintenance, logistics and order of battle.”

In a help-wanted ad it posted online last year, SAIC noted that it was recruiting a librarian to work at the National Ground Intelligence Center in Charlottesville, as part of its efforts to help build “a team to execute a large program providing IT Services for the Army Military Intelligence Enterprise.”

Though it intends to award a sole-source firm fixed price contract to SirsiDynix, the Center said it was prepared to receive competitive offers until Feb. 28, said a published notice.

Further information is available from Janet Lamb at 434-980-7333 or janet.b.lamb@us.army.mil