Contents:
News | Executive Director | Training | Special Offers | RIDES
Starting July 1, 2022, MCLS will be moving to a new phone system powered by Microsoft Teams. This change will mean that we will be getting new staff phone numbers. We will update our website Contact page once the new numbers are in effect. Keep an eye out for more MCLS phone system updates in next month's newsletter!
In July 2022, MCLS will transition to Consortia Manager (CM) as its subscription management system. CM is a commercial product specific to consortia and used worldwide by more than 40 consortia. It offers numerous benefits to both MCLS members and MCLS staff, including improved data management, robust reporting capabilities, and more opportunities for members to engage with their subscription information.
To facilitate this transition and the required data migration, the current MCLS subscription system, MemberBuild, will be unavailable from June 20 through July 4. This means all activity for July subscriptions must be completed by June 17. Live training sessions conducted by CM staff for MCLS members will be held in July and September with recorded sessions available in between.
MCLS looks forward to using Consortia Manager! We are mindful that the transition will be a process for all. Detailed training information will be shared in the upcoming weeks and outlined in the June newsletter.
We at MCLS have heard concerns regarding RIDES (Regional Interlibrary DElivery Service, the statewide library courier service in Michigan which MCLS facilitates) pricing equity for libraries in Michigan’s lower (LP) and upper (UP) peninsulas for some time, and I’m happy to share that our staff has worked hard this year to make RIDES base pricing more equitable for all participating libraries, beginning in July 2022. RIDES has a long and complicated story, and my article this month will share some basics about our new approach for our fiscal year 2023 (FY23). If you have questions about the details, please visit the RIDES pages on our website, or contact me at garrisons@mcls.org. Our staff and I will help get your questions answered.
Seven staff members from five libraries in Indiana and Michigan and one in Texas earned their MCLS Certificate of Library Development in Basic or Advanced Cataloging between December 2021 and April 2022. Those who earned these Certificates represent both public and academic libraries.
Alisia Neubeck, Gary Byker Memorial Library, MI
Christina Hunt, Crawfordsville District Public Library, IN
Lynda Cicchini, Harrison Township Public Library, MI
Mary Rice, Crawfordsville District Public Library, IN
Melinda Lark Braten, Michigan State University Libraries, MI
Ross Wine, Tahquamenon Area School Public Library, MI
Diana Starrett, San Antonio Public Library, TX
Congratulations and thanks to all of you!
Interested in earning YOUR Library Staff Development Certificate from MCLS? Read more about the requirements and get an application form on our website!
Meet new MCLS instructor Shanna HollichWe would like to introduce you to Shanna Hollich who will be teaching some cataloging classes for MCLS. Shanna Hollich (they/them or she/her) is currently serving as the Director of the Guthrie Memorial Library in Hanover, PA. They have been doing research, reform, and advocacy work in the field of copyright and open access for several years in addition to their more usual day-to-day work in technical services and administration. They were part of the inaugural class of trained facilitator instructors for the Creative Commons Certificate Courses and have been teaching those courses for both librarians and educators for several years, in addition to teaching courses for Library Juice Academy and the American Library Association. They hold an MLIS from Rutgers University and are currently working towards a Masters in Data Analytics from Penn State which will be obtained by the time this newsletter is published.
For more information or to see all upcoming workshops, visit our workshop and event registration page. If you have any questions, please contact us at training@mcls.org.
These one-time purchases provide DRM-free, perpetual access to critical psychological research - allowing you to support the needs of educators, researchers, students, and clinicians while helping to minimize institutional and student costs.
Each collection covers a spectrum of behavioral and social science research:
APA has permanently waived recurring access fees for all perpetual access products!
For more information or a quote, contact MCLS Group Purchasing at services@mcls.org or (800) 530-9019 ext 401.
Four MCLS member libraries came together in 2021 to form Overdrive for Michigan Academics (OMiA). As stated in the group Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), "collaboration, transparency, responsibility, trust and inclusiveness represent the shared values of OMiA." Founding members are Alpena Community College, Glen Oaks Community College, Grand Valley State University, and Kirtland Community College. Each library pays a fee based on its FTE. Funds include monies for shared content and Overdrive platform fees as well as an MCLS charge. Together the participating libraries develop the joint collection, focusing on student academic needs and leisure reading to promote lifelong learning.
The OMiA collection was launched in early 2022 and looks to build its membership moving forward. Efforts are also underway to develop an Overdrive group for Indiana academic libraries. Interested libraries are encouraged to reach out to Group Purchasing for a quote and more information at services@mcls.org or (800) 530-9019 ext 401.
The experience of getting to full text is often one involving confusing menus, clicking through different pages, and sometimes arriving at broken links. For users, this results in incomplete research, frustration, and wasted time. For libraries, it means dealing with technical support issues and responding to unnecessary ILL requests. There ought to be a better way. With LibKey from Third Iron, there is!
LibKey services are transforming libraries and taking the pain out of full-text access by delivering fast, reliable, and informed linking from any point of discovery. Learn more with this recently recorded video for MCLS members (passcode: Ct+$6CPL). If LibKey seems interesting and you’d like to evaluate it, free trials are available and easy to set up.
Discounted pricing for LibKey is available to MCLS members. For a quote, contact MCLS Group Purchasing at services@mcls.org or (800) 530-9019 ext 401.
Looking for ways to enhance open educational resources at your institution? Allied Membership in the Open Education Network (OEN) offers support and guidance for libraries interested in advancing and building open education initiatives on their campuses. OEN operates as a community of learners dedicated to making higher education more affordable, equitable, and accessible.
MCLS member institutions can join the OEN at a highly discounted rate because of the MCLS OEN consortia membership. To learn more, contact MCLS Group Purchasing at services@mcls.org or (800) 530-9019 ext 401.
RIDES renewal confirmation information will be emailed to direct delivery libraries in early May.
Looking for help?
RIDES Assistance Form: mcls.org/rideshelp
