Editor’s note: this month’s Notes from the Executive Director is a collaboration with Biz Gallo, Rick Adler, and Chelsea Denault, and serves as a chance to introduce our readers to some people and projects making a difference in libraries in Michigan. Read on to learn more about Biz, Rick, and Chelsea. Caring for and providing …Read more »

We are excited to announce that Jenny Kobiela-Mondor is the new MCLS Library Strategist. Jenny most recently worked as the Assistant Director of the Eckhart Public Library in Auburn, Indiana. She brings to us much experience around community engagement, strategic thinking, disaster recovery and planning, and intellectual freedom, both in her work as an assistant …Read more »

Equitable access has been a core principle of publicly-funded library service for going on two centuries. For well over a decade, an ever-growing number of libraries have come to recognize that fines for overdue materials can pose a barrier to equity, and have responded by eliminating those fines. American Library Association (ALA), local and national …Read more »

As shared in our May 2021 eNewsletter, MCLS joined the Open Education Network (OEN) as a consortial member effective July 1. A recognized leader in helping academic institutions advocate and advance open educational resources at their colleges and universities, OEN utilizes a proven program to engage with faculty in the review and development of open …Read more »

We are pleased to announce, as a continuation of our partnership with the Library of Michigan and our shared Michigan Libraries Engage project, that a new Libraries Engaging Appreciatively for Positive Change (LEAP) cohort will begin this fall. Save the date for Thursday, Nov. 4, 2021! This full-day virtual event will be facilitated by MCLS’s …Read more »

This month, I’ll share some updates about what’s been happening at MCLS on several levels, from the MCLS Board of Directors, to the staff, and some things our members are doing. At their May meeting, the MCLS Board discussed issues including MCLS’s FY2021 financial picture, and approved a projected FY2022 budget. Fortunately, we have ended …Read more »

Midwest Collaborative for Library Services (MCLS) is seeking a creative and energetic candidate for a Library Strategist position. MCLS is a non-profit, member-driven organization whose mission is to facilitate sharing resources and to collaborate with other organizations to benefit Indiana and Michigan libraries. The Library Strategist participates in developing, delivering, and expanding MCLS’s engagement, consulting, …Read more »

The MCLS Nominating Committee seeks nominations from the membership for the following openings on the MCLS Board of Directors: At-Large Representative (Indiana) Research Library Representative (Indiana) School Library Representative (Indiana) At-Large Representative (Michigan) Public Library Representative (Michigan) Please note that incumbent Board Representatives in each position except Public Library & At-Large Representatives (Michigan) are eligible …Read more »

Through keeping up with the news, talking with the MCLS Board of Directors at their May meeting, recent conversations with libraries, reading I’m doing, and thinking about my own family and friends, issues of diversity, equity, inclusion, justice, and accessibility (which I’ll refer to here as DEIJA) remain on my mind. As we note the …Read more »

Starting June 1, 2021, MCLS will be moving to a new training, workshops, and events registration system, Corsizio. We believe you will find the system to be user-friendly and that it will continue to provide all the benefits of our current system. Since it will look a little different, we wanted to take a few …Read more »