About Mandarin

A Brief History

In 1995, Mandarin Library Automation, Inc. (MLA) was purchased by SIRS, Inc., a Florida-based Corporation. From its beginnings, the company has been known as a trustworthy, effective and accessible developer of turnkey library automation solutions.

Our Reputation

Since that time, MLA’s software and related solutions have been used worldwide by thousands of schools (public, private and higher academic), public libraries, special and corporate libraries. MLA has always developed and marketed software -- and hardware -- solutions that incorporate the latest technology with a commitment to affordability and reliability.

Our Management Team

With over 85 years’ of combined commitment, our management team brings library and academic customers throughout the world the experience and knowledge necessary to develop, support, update and market the tools they need to get and stay automated.

Meet Our Senior Management

Elliot Goldstein, Chairman, Board of Directors, has earned over 30 years of experience in the educational publishing industry. Both he and his wife, Eleanor Goldstein, founded Social Issues Resources Series, Inc. (SIRS) in 1977. Elliot and Eleanor both bring experience, enthusiasm and an unwavering commitment to the library world to MLA’s customers.

 

Leonardo (Leo) Lazo, Mandarin’s President, began with SIRS in 1983 and has led MLA, a SIRS division, since 1995.Leo’s software development and ITexpertise coupled with his track record of ongoing development of our M3® andOasis products have made him a leader in the library automation industry.His strong and long-lasting customer relationships with libraries throughout the world have added to his and MLA’s reputation as a trustedlong-term provider of the most reliable, intuitive and affordable library software and automation solutions available. 

 

Arthur (Art) Graham, Mandarin’s Vice President of Operations, has over 27 years of technical experience with 12 years in the library automation industry. Art has a degree in Computer Science and Education.  Art started in 1993 with SIRS and now as MLA’s Vice President Operations continues the legacy of developing customized and high quality solutions for Mandarin’s library customers. 

 

Christine Divito, Mandarin’s Vice President of Finance, has been with the SIRS and then Mandarin family since 1993. Christine has an accounting degree from the University of Miami and was an integral part of the due diligence team in Canada during the purchase of Mandarin. Currently, Christine oversees all the financial aspects of the company.

 

Technical Support Staff
Our technical staff is among the best in the industry. Many of our technical support representatives and Quality Assurance staff have degrees in Computer Science and related fields, and are qualified professionals with credentials in MCSE (Microsoft Certified System Engineer), Cisco Router Certification, CNE (Certified Netware Engineer) and/or hold degrees in Library Science. 

We are very proud of our staff, of their accomplishments and of their ongoing efforts to support our clients’ software and related needs.