Contents: Executive Director | News | Training | Special Offers | Vendor and Product Spotlights | MeL | RIDES
Artificial intelligence (AI) and its impact on libraries and their users is a major topic everywhere including at recent conferences and meetings. I’ll share some of what I’ve learned about AI recently.
Stephanie Davis to retireAs announced last month, Stephanie Davis, Associate Director/Manager, eLicensing and Collection Resources, will retire Nov. 1, 2024. Stephanie has been at MCLS since February 2019. After 25+ years working in libraries, Stephanie looks forward to retiring as she plans to spend more time with family, enjoy the great outdoors more, and head south for the winter!
The search for her replacement is underway. See the job posting and more information about the position on the MCLS website.
Cataloging and Tech Services staff: you’re invited to our next Virtual Dialogue It’s easy to think of a story of when a library’s services have made a difference in the lives of people in our communities, but how often do we consider the role those behind the scenes play in those impactful stories? This month, we invite cataloging and technical services staff of libraries of all sizes and types across Indiana and Michigan to join us for a virtual dialogue about the value of your roles as part of the library’s story.
We hope you can join us on Thursday, May 16, 10:30 a.m.-12 p.m. Eastern (9:30-11 a.m. Central), on Zoom. These gatherings are not webinars, but true dialogues where we learn from each other; please plan to have your microphone enabled and camera on to participate.
MCLS Virtual Dialogues are free. These guided conversations are designed for us to learn from and support each other across our two-state membership region. This year, our dialogues are geared toward specific library groups to maximize relevant support and building community.
MCLS encourages libraries to join in responding to proposed IPEDS changes by May 3 As you may be aware, the United States Department of Education is considering a proposal to discontinue the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) library survey. This survey serves a key role in the academic library community, documenting information on library resources, services, and usage. Its discontinuation would impact libraries’ efforts to quantify their work and would hinder the ability of libraries to benchmark and document accreditation requirements, for example. As a library community we have the opportunity to influence this potential change by advocating for the importance of IPEDS to academic libraries.
MCLS will submit an official response and is encouraging its academic members to respond as well in opposition to the discontinuation of the IPEDS library survey. The formal comment period ends May 3. Comments can be submitted to the U.S. Office of the Federal Register via this link. If you have any questions, please reach out to services@mcls.org.
Spring eResources Meeting RecapOver 50 librarians joined together on Friday, April 12, for the annual MCLS Spring eResources Meeting. Vendors Sage and Wiley presented information related to the upcoming eJournal package renewals for Sage Premier and Wiley Online Library. There was robust discussion with vendors on issues ranging from renewal pricing to AI license language. Susan Bannwart, eLicensing and Collection Resources Coordinator, demonstrated ConsortiaManager, outlining the contact management process. A recording of that presentation is available here. Participants also engaged in general discussion about current issues in eResource management.
This year, there was a prize drawing for those in attendance. Winners of the two free MCLS trainings were Erin Smith of Albion College and Joe Badics of Eastern Michigan University. Charlotte Peterson won a free MCLS membership for her institution, Butler University. Thank you to everyone who took the time to attend and participate.
School library contacts: watch your inbox! MCLS will be sending out a membership renewal email reminder to key school library contacts (directors, billing contacts, and primary contacts) in early May. This email offers an opportunity to respond with any changes to your membership and to provide updated contact information ahead of our July 1 renewal date. Invoices will be generated and emailed to your MCLS billing contact in mid-May (all other library types will receive their reminder email in early June).
If your library has had a recent change in director or billing contact, please contact Gwen at membership@mcls.org or 517-939-1388. Thank you so much for being an MCLS member!
Michigan library selects MCLS to provide consulting servicesWe are pleased to announce that East Lansing Public Library in East Lansing, MI has selected Midwest Collaborative for Library Services (MCLS) to provide consulting services for strategic planning this spring and summer. We are looking forward to spending time with their staff and community and helping to facilitate this important work!
Is your library looking for library-specific consultants, presenters, or facilitators? MCLS can help! Visit our webpage to read more or contact us to request a quote.
REMINDER: MCLS has a new lockbox address for check remittanceMCLS is dedicated to ensuring all accounting and payment interactions you have with us are secure and processed with care. For better security, MCLS has opened a new lockbox location with Bank of America. Please send any future checks to the following address:
Midwest Collaborative For Library Services Inc.
P.O. Box 7411172
Chicago, IL 60674-1172
Please note this address ONLY APPLIES TO CHECKS SENT BY MAIL. Our Lansing address is still appropriate for packages and other types of correspondence that do not include check payments. If you have recently sent a check to our previous remittance address, we will still receive it. The former remittance address will still be operational for several more weeks while we make the transition to the new Bank of America lockbox.
If you have any questions about this change, please contact MCLS Accounts Receivable at accounting@mcls.org or 800-530-9019, options 6 or 7. The new check remittance address is in Consortia Manager and Member Build for your convenience.
To see all workshops available through June 2024, visit our MCLS Store. Questions? Contact Gwen at training@mcls.org or 517-220-9950.
The MeL project was made possible in part by the Institute of Museum and Library Services through the Library of Michigan.
The MCLS website has a full list of vendor partners and a searchable product list.
Infobase and MCLS partner to offer community college libraries special pricing on nursing resourcesInfobase nursing and allied health resources are designed to support nursing allied health students on their path to academic and clinical success. Help your health science students excel in their studies, pass licensure exams and prepare for long-term job success in an increasingly complex health care system. Learn more about the current offer that bundles products to provide cost savings to libraries. Details, including free trial information, are available here.
To request a quote, reach out to MCLS eLicensing and Collection Resources at services@mcls.org or 517-939-1382.
MCLS members get 35% off on new Infobase eBook collectionsBoost your eBook offerings with new Infobase eBook collections. The following six new collections are now available, and all titles are perpetual access and DRM free:
Explore these resources by requesting a trial. Contact MCLS eLicensing and Collection Resources at services@mcls.org or 517-939-1382 for title lists, trial credentials, and pricing quotes.
Reveal Digital collections expandReveal Digital develops Open Access primary source collections from under-represented 20th-century voices of dissent, crowdfunded by libraries. Digitized primary source materials from the 20th and 21st centuries are important resources for learning and research, but they can be difficult to find. Reveal Digital’s Open Access collections, hosted on JSTOR, help fill that need while also elevating the voices of marginalized and hidden communities.
In 2022, MCLS invested in the work of Reveal Digital, contributing funds to support the development of their Behind the Scenes of the Civil Rights Movement and Documenting White Supremacy and its Opponents in the 1920s. Through Reveal Digital’s collections, users can see first-hand key information resources (photos, newsletters, documents, and more) on the topics. The content is curated and sourced from a wide array of libraries, museums, historical societies, and individual collectors. The results are diverse thematic collections of scholarly value available to everyone everywhere.
Reveal Digital's work continues. One of the most exciting additions in recent months are two iconic newspapers in the American Prison Newspapers (APN) collection. The San Quinten News is an award-winning monthly newspaper that has been in publication intermittently since 1940. It provides an insider’s perspective on events within San Quinten and topics related to crime and punishment more generally. On the opposite end of the date spectrum is The Summary, which began publishing in 1883 in the Elmyra New York Penitentiary. It became the model for all prison journalism that followed.
Find out more about how your library can support the ongoing efforts of Reveal Digital. Contact MCLS eLicensing and Collection Resources at services@mcls.org or 517-939-1382.
New offers from ProQuest: genealogy and newspaper products and O’Reilly workforce resources are up to 45% off If your library is looking to add new resources this year, particularly in genealogy or newspapers (historical or recent, national, or state collections) or considering a workforce development platform for your patrons, consider these resource offers from ProQuest:
Free trials are available. For more information or to request a quote or trial, contact MCLS eLicensing and Collection Resources at services@mcls.org or 517-939-1382.
Visit the eResources page of the MCLS website for a full list of vendor partners and a searchable product list.
Vendor Spotlight: Skilltype is offering a professional development tools webinar on June 11*Learn how Skilltype helps libraries advance employee professional development by attending the Tuesday, June 11* webinar from 2-3 p.m. Eastern (1-2 p.m. Central). Skilltype is a library-specific professional development tool that allows library administration to strategically assess employee skills and professional development needs by identifying strengths, gaps, and providing information on various professional development opportunities available through a variety of established services and organizations. Find out more about this unique resource at the upcoming webinar led by Skilltype staff.
Discounted pricing on Skilltype is available to MCLS members. Contact services@mcls.org or 517-939-1382 for more information and a quote.
*The May newsletter previously listed the date as May 8. Due to unforeseen circumstances, it has been rescheduled for June 11. We apologize for any inconvenience and hope you are able to attend.
Product Spotlight: Join the Overdrive for Academics Indiana consortium info session on May 23Did you know there is an Overdrive for Academics group at MCLS? Founded in 2021, the current group consists of 10 academic libraries from Michigan working collaboratively to bring a shared collection of diverse eBooks and audiobooks to their users. The group is a mix of community colleges, private colleges, and public universities. New members to the Michigan group are welcome.
MCLS is seeking to develop an Overdrive for Academic Indiana consortium. Due to publisher restrictions, a joint group is not currently possible. A consortium group allows libraries to expand the content available to users through a shared collection. Three libraries are needed to start a consortium. Interested in learning more?
An informational session will be held on Thursday, May 23 from 11 a.m.-Noon Eastern (10-11 a.m. Central). During this town hall style event, Overdrive staff, MCLS staff, and individual library participants will provide a full view of how an Overdrive for Academics consortium group works.
Contact MCLS eLicensing and Collection Resources at services@mcls.org or 517-939-1382 for more information.
Free MeL eResource Office Hours
RIDES renewal confirmation information will be emailed to direct delivery libraries in May. If you have any questions, please contact us through the RIDES Assistance Form.
