Only available to Michigan academic libraries  We’ve heard from several libraries who are interested in a group eBook collection, so we’ve initiated conversations with a few publishers and vendors to explore the possibility. Oxford University Press has developed an EBA proposal for us, specifically with smaller to mid-size academic libraries in mind. This opportunity with Oxford is only available to Michigan academic libraries, as the Academic Libraries of Indiana (ALI) already have a similar program in place.  Please join us at our upcoming virtual meeting on Sept. 9, 2026 at 2 p.m. Eastern (1 p.m. Central) to learn more about this opportunity and how your library might benefit from a shared EBA program. Find more information about the EBA proposal here, and additional information about Oxford Scholarship Online here.   REGISTER NOW For a quote or more information, contact services@mcls.org or call 517-939-1382. 

Revive and refresh genealogy and local history interest at your library! NewspaperArchive gives libraries, archives, and institutions searchable access to 290+ million digitized newspaper pages with 24/7 access onsite and from home.  NewspaperArchive supports two distinct services. Choose one that fits your goals — or use both. Preserve or digitize your collection. NewspaperArchive provides digitization, microfilm creation, and microfilm/microfiche conversion for libraries, archives, and historical societies. Your files, your collection.  With NewspaperArchive, patrons find newspaper articles, births, deaths, and more. Powerful search tools to help you find exactly who or what you are looking for. Explore records like: newspaper archives 1607-2026, over 108 million obituaries, marriage records, birth records, death records, arrest records, divorce records, murder cases, old photographs, genealogy, family history, and so much more!  Via MCLS, member libraries receive: 10% off State & Multi-State collections, 15% off U.S. collections, or 20% off Global collections. We can also layer in additional flexibility for multi-year commitments paid annually.  For a quote or more information, contact services@mcls.org or call 517-939-1382.

The MCLS Engagement, Consulting, and Training Team continues our popular series of Virtual Dialogues on Thursday, Sept. 17, from 10:30 a.m. to noon Eastern (9:30-11 a.m. Central). During the dialogue, we will engage around the subject of accountability and taking ownership. MCLS Virtual Dialogues are designed to provide those in the library industry opportunities to connect and engage around topics that impact the way we work. These dialogues are not workshops or webinars, but a way to engage with others in the profession through facilitated dialogue. We look forward to connecting with you! Please plan to have your microphone enabled and camera on in order to participate. If you have any questions, please reach out to engagement@mcls.org. REGISTER NOW

On Friday, August 28, MCLS’s IT staff launched our fully-redesigned and modernized website, a first in over a decade! With feedback from our members, partners, and staff, we focused on what matters most to you: an upgraded user experience and an easier way for you to connect with the resources, services, and community MCLS offers. You’ll notice a new member portal next to the search icon in the upper right menu. This area provides access to managing your subscriptions, paying invoices, managing your password, and a quick link to workshop registrations. Also, a new accessibility icon appears at the bottom left of every page. When selected, you can change the site’s font size, letter spacing, contrast, cursor size, and more! We hope you love the new design. While we have taken special care to keep links the same where possible, please check your saved bookmarks for potential changes. If you experience any difficulty with the site, please let us know at marketing@mcls.org. A heartfelt thank you to the members, partners, and staff whose feedback guided this redesign. Together, we're building a stronger digital home for the library community — and we're excited to keep improving it with your input in mind.

The following library staff members have earned Certificates of Library Staff Development by attending workshops through MCLS:  Basic Essential Workplace Skills Certificate   Richard D. Deverell, Jeffersonville Township Public Library, IN   Naomi C. Gómez, Purdue University Northwest, IN  Sarah Mominee, Novi Public Library, MI   Emma Rose, Lake County Public Library, IN  Basic Cataloging Certificate  Preeti Arya, Salem South Lyon District Library, MI  Kae Goss, Lake Michigan College – William Hessel Library, MI    Allie Lovette, South Carolina State Library, SC  Kathie Mason, Eastern Michigan University, MI  Advanced Cataloging Certificate  Amy Bermingham, Novi Public Library, MI  Heidi Keppen Palmer, University of Michigan-Dearborn, MI Kathie Mason, Eastern Michigan University, MI  Are you interested in obtaining your Certificate of Library Staff Development? For details, visit this page. Essential Workplace Skills tutorials are free to MCLS members as a member benefit! For questions, please email Gwen at training@mcls.org or call 517-220-9950. 

Virtual Dialogues for library staff in Indiana and Michigan MCLS’s Engagement, Consulting, and Training team is hosting more sessions of our popular Virtual Dialogues!--------------------------------- These Dialogues are FREE and are designed for librarians and library workers at all levels to connect, engage, learn from, and support each other across our two-state membership region. You do not need to be from an MCLS member library to participate.In 2026, we hope to dive deeper into resilience in times of uncertainty and how collaboration can support us. Each session will have guided questions based on principles and practices of Appreciative Inquiry to facilitate a supportive, growth-minded space. Most of the time will be spent in conversation with each other, so come with your camera and audio connected and ready to see and hear others as well as be seen and heard!Sessions will be 10:30 a.m.-noon Eastern (9:30-11 a.m. Central). Registration is FREE but registration is required. Links below will open for registration ahead of each session, as topics and audiences are finalized - watch for updates here and on the email lists! January 22: Surviving & thriving amid uncertainty March 19: Embracing impactful change in our libraries & communities May 14: How to talk about the 'elephant in the room' July 16: Combatting loneliness and isolation September 17: Accountability Because these sessions are truly DIALOGUES and most of the content will be with peers in breakout rooms, they will NOT be recorded and shared for later viewing. We hope you can join us live. We look forward to connecting with you! Questions? Email us at engagement@mcls.org. 

Child-led play (when the child is in complete control of every aspect of the play) encourages independence, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills. Stacy Benge, an early childhood educator, suggests, “It is also the key to developing the foundations that support future reading and writing. Children are at the heart of play. It is not about the adults, the learning standards, or the curriculum theme—it is all about the children.” Visual processing, phonological awareness, and physical development are components of building literacy skills, and these are all elements found in child-led play.   Play gives children the agency to not only change and enhance a story, but to also make it real for them. Within the world of play, they can exert power over beginnings, middles, and endings. Play is the natural way children interact with the world.   Every Child Ready to Read® (ECRR) identifies five practices (talk, sing, read, write, and play) that adults should use to engage with children to build early literacy skills. TALK: Text & Learn for Kindergarten, based on the ECRR model, incorporates play in several of the two, age-appropriate texts sent to parents and caregivers each week. Texts are sent with the goal of raising the frequency and quality of parent/child interactions. Supporting children with their creativity, curiosity, imagination, and interests when they play is one way to help prepare them for kindergarten.   If your library would like to find out how TALK can help support early literacy development in your community, send queries to talkhelp@mcls.org. Request a quote here.   References  Allyn, P. (2025). It’s Not Too Soon: Early Literacy Works: Young children can joyfully learn foundational literacy skills through play--and it makes a difference. Educational Leadership, 82(7), 26–31.  Benge, S. (2025). The Key to Early Literacy is Child-Led PLAY! Exchange (19460406), 280, 33–37. 

by MCLS Engagement Strategist Laura Warren-Gross  North Adams Memorial Community Library opened its new facility in 2020 during COVID-19. Now, six years later they are fully open, and the community is making use of their engaging spaces and programs. The North Adams community passed a millage in August of 2026 which will allow the staff and board to continue focusing on their strategic goals of access, being a community hub, providing opportunities for lifelong learning, and preserving local history and culture.  The library is located near the K-12 school and when I visited with director Mariel Busch we discussed some of the events they had planned for summer reading. By the end of summer, 92 students registered for summer reading—an all-time high. Through a partnership with local businesses and the village, a sidewalk was being constructed to connect the school grounds to the library parking lot so that kids can easily walk between the two facilities. Mariel has recently earned her MLIS from Wayne State University with a concentration in Archival Administration, and she is putting that knowledge to use by creating a local history room. Back issues of the region’s newspaper have been donated to the library, and the staff is working to digitize them. They also have an extensive history of the town written by Marie Davis. With the permission of the family, the library staff is working to digitize this precious information for the enjoyment of future generations. Though they have borrowed a digitization kit previously, Mariel hopes to own equipment via grant funding to do this work.  As a place to discover local history, engage in programming, and borrow resources, North Adams Community Memorial Library is a vibrant hub for everyone who walks through the doors.  What makes your library unique? Engagement, Consulting, and Training team members would love to hear about your library and share your story! Interested? Contact us at engagement@mcls.org. 

Event Details Presenters: Kate McDowell (keynote) and Thom Fladung (workshop) Date: Friday, Oct. 9, 2026 Attendance options: In-person – full program: 9:15 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. Eastern Virtual – opening remarks & keynote address: 9:45 – 11:30 a.m. Eastern Location:St. Joseph County Public Library Community Learning Center305 S. Michigan St., South Bend, IN 46601Google Maps Registration Choose how to attend: • In person (REGISTER HERE)Register by 5 p.m. on Sept. 18$75 per person (includes a light breakfast, lunch, and beverages) • Virtual (REGISTER HERE)Register by 12 p.m. on Oct. 7$25 per person to participate in the opening remarks and keynote live on Zoom Registration is limited and open to anyone from an MCLS member organization. Check your membership status here. Not a member? Join today! Overnight Accommodations MCLS has secured a special group rate of $149.00 USD at the following nearby hotel: Aloft by Marriott South Bend111 N Main St., South Bend, IN 46601Phone: 574-288-8000Google Maps Check In: Thursday, Oct. 8, 2026.Check Out: Friday, Oct. 9, 2026Hotel reservation link The last day to book your stay at the special group rate is Tuesday, Sept. 8, 2026. About the Program Agenda Times are Eastern (local time) and subject to change. 9:15 a.m.           Registration/ light breakfast (fruit, pastries, and beverages)10 a.m.              Opening remarks by MCLS10:30 a.m.         Keynote: Data Storytelling in Libraries presented by Kate McDowell11:30 a.m.         Workshop: Crisis Communication with Thom Fladung12:30 p.m.         Lunch (taco bar, dessert, and beverages)1:30 p.m.           Workshop: Crisis Communication with Thom Fladung3 p.m.                Wrap-upTBA Experiential library tour: SJCPL Experiential library tour St. Joseph County Public Library is planning a unique tour experience for in-person attendees! Learn more about the resources, services, and spaces that SJCPL’s Main Library has to offer on a staff led tour. Highlights will include: The Youth Services Department The library’s new bookmobile, The Dream Machine Studio 304 A hands-on learning activity in the Local & Family History Department Crisis Intervention staff, including the library’s in-house social worker, will also be available to discuss how SJCPL has moved to a trauma informed approach when interacting with patrons.  Note: tour times will be determined based on feedback from the event registration form. Keynote Address Photo credit: KateMcDowell.com Kate McDowell, author and professor at the School of Information Sciences at the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign will present on data storytelling in libraries. About Kate McDowell  Professor Kate McDowell focuses on storytelling as information research, social justice storytelling, and how the history of library storytelling can enhance contemporary data storytelling. Her projects engage contexts such as public libraries, non-profit fundraising, and health misinformation in online discourse. This research takes many forms, from publications to storytelling workshops and toolkits to research roles with international coalitions and working groups. She leads the nationally-funded Data Storytelling Toolkit for Librarians project to equip libraries with narrative tools for data-informed advocacy, which has been used by over 5,000 librarians in over 50 countries so far. Her book for libraries, Critical Data Storytelling for Libraries: Crafting Ethical Narratives for Advocacy and Impact, came out in 2025.  Read more about Kate McDowell on her website.  Workshop: Putting Crisis Communications in Play Photo credit: crisiscommunications.com Thom Fladung will lead a hands-on workshop on crisis communication best practices and techniques including brainstorming key messages and participating in mock interviews, to help you prepare for any media interview or public speaking opportunity. With his practical approach to instruction and years of experience, you will walk away with pragmatic tips and best practices that you can put into play immediately to effectively communicate during a crisis. About Thom Fladung Thom Fladung serves as managing partner for Hennes Communications. He brings more than 33 years of daily newspaper and digital media experience to the agency, having served as a top editor at some of the nation’s largest newspapers such as the Cleveland Plain Dealer and the Detroit Free Press. Over the past decade, Fladung has also played a lead role in helping newsrooms enter the digital age, including web, social media and handheld digital devices. Thom is an expert at crafting effective, strategic messages on hard deadlines. He is also experienced at quickly evaluating, assembling and disseminating information – crisis management skills that are critically important for clients coping with reputation management issues and breaking crises. In 2017, Thom received the Communicator of the Year award from the International Association of Business Communicators. Learn more about Thom on the Hennes Communications website. Special thanks to our location sponsor