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News | Executive Director | Training | Special Offers | MeL
MCLS’s Introduction to Basic Soft Skills series takes a brief hiatus, but will be back!In order to make some changes to the Introduction to Basic Soft Skills workshops, MCLS will put the series on a brief hiatus. One big change will be rebranding what has been known as “Soft Skills” as “Essential Workplace Skills.” This series name change will help to reflect the content of the workshops and their value more accurately. At the same time, we will be moving the workshops to a new self-paced online learning platform. Note: The content of the workshops will not be changing, just the name of the series.
We look forward to bringing these Essential Workplace Skills workshops to you in a new format in June and supporting library staff in a more effective way!
MCLS schedules Annual Spring eResources MeetingOnce again this Spring, MCLS will hold its Annual eResources Meeting! Set for Friday, April 22, 9am-3pm Eastern (8am-2pm Central), the virtual event will include presentations from vendors with upcoming three-year eJournal renewals, opportunities to interact with colleagues and discuss current issues related to eResources, and a chance to learn more about the recently launched OverDrive for Michigan Academics (OMiA) group.
Please save the date and register today! Look for detailed information in the April MCLS newsletter.
As previously announced, MCLS was awarded American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) monies by the Library of Michigan to support the digital content needs of publicly funded academic libraries in Michigan, both universities and community colleges, as well as Michigan's three tribal colleges. As you may know, APRA monies for libraries were funneled to states via the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS). Eligible libraries have been notified and will have the opportunity to purchase perpetual access eResource content via MCLS using their allotted funds.
A webinar for eligible libraries will be held on Wednesday, March 30, 11am-noon Eastern (10-11am Central). During the webinar, vendors will share available products and MCLS staff will be on hand to answer questions. Registration information for the webinar will be sent to eligible participants. Please contact Stephanie Davis at daviss@mcls.org or (800) 530-9019 ext 154 if you have questions.
Collections vs remixes: how will I ever know the difference???What’s that? You want to include other Creative Commons (CC) licensed works in your open educational resource (OER), too!? (You probably weren’t thinking that at all, but it’s what we’re talking about today.)
It’s quite common. And, if you’ve read an OER textbook, you’ve seen it in action.
Before you start developing (the brainstorming part), you’ll need to know about collections, remixes, and derivatives. And, you'll need to know the best practices for using works in collections or remixing them into an OER.
Wellbeing tip: calm the stress cyclone and get on with your dayYou’re finally to the last patron in what felt like a never-ending line. You take a deep breath and put on your best smile, but you’re immediately met with a rude comment about the wait. You channel your inner professional and use your best customer service voice to deflate the situation. Success!
But, you don’t feel like it’s over and done. Your jaw is clenched, you’re a little sweaty, and you just can’t stop thinking about what the patron said. **internal scream** Now, you’ve snapped at a coworker who was asking a cataloging question and you just want this day to be over.
Pause. Take a deep breath with me.
Read more and learn how MCLS can help your staff strengthen their wellbeing>>
This month, I'll use this space as a call to participate in an upcoming online discussion about how data are impacting - and have the potential to impact - academic libraries in terms of budget, collections, spaces, serving users, and more during the COVID era. The discussion will include college and university libraries (community colleges as well as public and private four-year institutions) in Indiana and Michigan, and some Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) leaders.
There has been a lot of news since early 2020 about how COVID has impacted libraries, including in some recent reports on academic libraries from Library Journal, Primary Research Group, and the Chronicle of Higher Education. At MCLS, we know that academic library budget cuts that began for many before the pandemic accelerated during and after the 2020 fiscal year.
In a recent conversation with Matthew Shaw (Dean of University Libraries, Ball State University), Josh Petrusa (Interim Director, Butler University Libraries), and others, some interesting questions emerged about data and libraries during the time of COVID.
For more information or to see all upcoming workshops, visit our workshop and event registration page. If you have any questions, please contact us at training@mcls.org.
MCLS has negotiated discounts with several library supplies and equipment vendors on behalf of our members. These vendors include Brodart, Demco, Ingram, The Library Store, Kapco, Office Depot, Barcodes, Inc., and Vernon Library Supplies. You can find more information on discounts and how to order on each vendor’s page.
Heather Wood-Gramza has been selected as the new MeL Coordinator at the Library of Michigan. Heather comes to us from Howard Miller Public Library in Zeeland where she spent the last four years as Library Director. Heather replaces Liz Breed, who left the Library of Michigan last year to become the Assistant Director at the Jackson District Library. Welcome, Heather!
MeLCat is a statewide multi-type library resource sharing program. MeL was made possible in part by the Institute of Museum and Library Services. Additional funding is provided by the State of Michigan and the Library of Michigan Foundation.
