This month, I’ll reflect on Dr. Emily Knox’s thought-provoking Feb. 7 lecture on intellectual freedom, book banning, and more that MCLS co-sponsored with Western Michigan University (WMU). Dr. Knox’s books include Book Banning In 21st Century America and Foundations of Intellectual Freedom. Her events drew a wide audience of academic, public, and school librarians and …Read more »

Did you know our Essential Workplace Skills on-demand tutorials are FREE to all staff of MCLS member libraries? That is a $720 value, per person! There is no limit to the number of staff from your library who can participate. We have already had 294 registrations for the on-demand tutorials since rolling them out in …Read more »

Following Kristin Fontichiaro’s recent presentation on mis- and disinformation, as Dr. Emily Knox’s lecture at WMU (and livestream) and workshop on intellectual freedom and book challenges approach on Feb. 7-8, and as I talk with libraries, I continue thinking a lot about diversity, equity, inclusion, social justice, and accessibility (DEIJA)—especially the pushback against these principles …Read more »

As MCLS prepares to embark on a strategic planning process in 2023, we want to engage with the library community in both Indiana and Michigan through a series of Community Conversations. These conversations are fast approaching this month, so please register today! This engagement process is an opportunity to hear from our community—staff from libraries …Read more »

Registration is open for the next in MCLS’s popular Virtual Dialogue series! The next dialogue, which is about cultivating a flexible mindset, will be hosted by MCLS’s Engagement, Consulting, and Training team on Tuesday, March 15, from 10:30am to noon Eastern (9:30-11am Central) via Zoom. The topic was chosen from feedback we collected about what …Read more »

The Midwest Collaborative for Library Services (MCLS) is looking for an energetic, creative, and collaborative individual to join our team as a MeL Support Specialist. As a member of the Shared Library Systems team, the person in this position plays a key role in the ongoing success of MeL. The position requires excellent verbal and …Read more »

In early 2023, MCLS will co-sponsor presentations by Kristin Fontichiaro of the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor’s School of Information and Dr. Emily Knox of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign’s School of Information Sciences, on understanding and addressing misinformation, disinformation, and intellectual freedom challenges. Many have noted how these issues are heavily impacting a growing number …Read more »

Working in a library can be stressful. Many library staff members are exhausted and running on fumes while trying to build inclusive spaces, stand up to censorship, and tend to the day-to-day details of running a library. If this sounds familiar, join MCLS Library Strategists Jenny Kobiela-Mondor and Lissa Krull for MCLS’s new workshop, “Break …Read more »

If you’re a librarian who dreams of being part of an innovative, growth focused organization, this position is just the one for you! MCLS is looking for a highly motivated candidate to coordinate, support, and administer group purchases for library products and services as a member of the Group Purchasing team. The ideal candidate is a …Read more »

As MCLS prepares to embark on a strategic planning process in 2023, we will engage with the library community in Indiana and Michigan through a series of Community Conversations and one-on-one interviews. These Community Conversations are based on engagement tools from The Harwood Institute for Public Innovation and are designed to take between 90 minutes …Read more »