Defining the Library Consortium  Libraries today operate in complex environments, navigating evolving community expectations, and a growing set of unknowns. Whether large or small, urban or rural, all libraries share the common challenge of delivering high-quality services in a sustainable and impactful way. In this context, library consortia like the Midwest Collaborative for Library Services …Read more »

If you’re going to be at the American Library Association Annual Conference in Philadelphia in June, keep an eye out for Executive Director Scott Garrison and eLicensing and Collection Resources Manager Sarah Beaubien, who plan to attend the conference.  And even if you’re not going to ALA Annual this year, the MCLS Engagement, Consulting, and …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 »

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 »

Each fall, MCLS takes stock of the past year’s accomplishments and also focuses on the year ahead. This month, I’ll cover some strides we’ve made, share some highlights from the MCLS Board of Directors’ recent annual retreat, and preview our 2022 MCLS Annual Meeting on Nov. 29. First and foremost, we aim to deliver on our …Read more »

During spring and summer 2020, amid all the changes brought on by COVID-19, MCLS hosted Virtual Dialogues for library staff as a chance to connect with others in Indiana and Michigan (and sometimes beyond). In the fall, as many libraries were back to being open to the public and library work continued to evolve, we …Read more »

Are you planning to attend the Internet Librarian conference in October? If so, MCLS and Amigos Library Services can help you save money on early bird conference registration. Register for the conference using this embedded link, and your discount should automatically populate. If you need the discount code for any reason, it is 17AMI. Please …Read more »

Libraries Read: 1 Book Libraries Read: 1 Book is an annual “library community read” project focusing on professional development. Library staff from all types of libraries are encouraged to participate by voting on which book should be selected, then participate in the discussion, whether online or in-person. For the third year in a row, MCLS …Read more »

Step out. Take a risk. Dare to make a difference. Keynote speakers Maxine Bleiweis and Barbara Dewey urged attendees at this year’s Annual Meeting to become better innovators. They spoke from their experience as library directors: Bleiweis at The Westport Library in Connecticut and Dewey at Penn State University. Both highlighted the ways that they …Read more »

MCLS facilitated 24 conversations throughout Indiana and Michigan in 2016 with 283 library staff from multi-types of libraries participating.  The conversations were a “deeper dive” into themes that arose from a series of conversations held in 2014. Those conversations used the “Community Conversation” tool of the Harwood Institute for Public Innovation to ask library staff …Read more »