As a recipient of an MCLS scholarship, I attended The Harwood Institute/ALA Public Innovators Lab for Librarians workshop in October.  It was an intense 2 ½ days in Atlanta, GA!  We spent time in the workshop going over the concepts of “turning outward,” and how we can use our roles in our communities to be …Read more »

The Library of Michigan and the Midwest Collaborative for Library Services (MCLS) have partnered with Zepheira Technologies to transform the 16 million bibliographic records in MeLCat, Michigan’s statewide resource sharing system, into linked data. Once complete, the books, CDs, DVDs, and other items in the Michigan libraries using MeLCat will be easily discoverable by web …Read more »

Libraries Read: 1 Book is back. MCLS invites library staff of all types in Indiana and Michigan to participate in an exciting upcoming professional development opportunity.  We will join together once again, both physically and virtually to read and discuss the same book.  With your help, we will select a book that is relevant to …Read more »

Indiana librarians are invited to attend one of five Community Conversations to be held in the southern portion of the state in the month of March.  The purpose of these conversations is to gather information about the needs of the Indiana library community and to explore your hopes, concerns and aspirations. We will conduct another …Read more »

MCLS is offering up to twenty $500 collection development mini-grants to school libraries in Indiana that are MCLS members. These funds are being made available through a grant program established by the MCLS Board of Trustees from the proceeds of the sale of the former INCOLSA building.  $50,000 per year for the next five years …Read more »

A little more than two years ago, MCLS undertook a concerted effort to connect more effectively and engage more deeply with its members. We have held many conversations with members both in groups and individually, some in formal settings, others more informally. Our intent was to listen to our members and learn about the things …Read more »

Does your public library need to complete a strategic plan? MCLS is hosting a two-day series, scheduled for September 9 and October 21, where you will learn and practice do-it-yourself tools you can use to create your own plan. These will be highly interactive sessions in which you will be coached and advised throughout the …Read more »

Library staff throughout Indiana and Michigan read and discussed “Contagious: Why Things Catch On” by Jonah Berger this summer. The discussions, led and sponsored by MCLS, resulted in various ideas for how libraries can use the principles of marketing presented in the book to make library services and messages go viral. Berger presents six principles …Read more »

What is the intersection of space design and organizational culture? How do you design a library that is not only functional, attractive, and architecturally interesting but also a space that invites people to enter and speaks to them once they are there? How will libraries need to adapt to meet the changing expectations of current …Read more »

Libraries in Indiana and Michigan are using bicycles in unique ways. The Putnam County Public Library, in partnership with the DePauw University Office for Sustainability, both in Greencastle, Indiana, is loaning bicycles to patrons. The Traverse Area District Library in Traverse City, Michigan in partnership with Norte! Youth Cycling, has a “pedal-powered” library. Putnam County …Read more »