Contents:
News | Executive Director | Training | Special Offers | MeL | RIDES
Mark your calendars for the MCLS Annual Membership Meeting to take place from 10-11am Eastern (9-10am Central) on Friday, Nov. 17, 2017. Join us via Zoom online meeting software. This year's meeting will feature reports from MCLS President Eva Davis, MCLS Executive Director Randy Dykhuis, and MCLS Treasurer (and Audit Committee Chair) Scott Garrison. There is no cost to attend. All you need to do is go to: https://zoom.us/j/643941454 just prior to the meeting start time to view. You will need to download the free Zoom software onto your computer if you have never used Zoom before, so please allow for an extra fifteen minutes or so. You can find instructions and tips for attending a Zoom meeting here: Online Tips for Attendees
If you have any questions regarding this meeting, please contact Heather Ladiski at ladiskih@mcls.org.
Indiana library Public Innovators met for Community Engagement “Reboot”Former MCLS scholarship recipients to the ALA/Harwood Institute for Public Innovation Lab met on Sept. 28 at the Brownsburg Public Library to “reboot” their community engagement efforts. Keynote speaker Cindy Fesemyer of the Columbus, WI Public Library addressed the skills needed by staff for engagement, and introduced a new tool for community mapping. Participants also heard from Monica Casanova of the Allen County Public Library on lessons learned from hosting civic dialogues, Cyndee Landrum of the Evansville Public Library on the value of community engagement, and Scott Sandberg from Indiana University Northwest on community engagement in an academic library.
Since 2015, MCLS has provided scholarships to 48 individuals from 32 libraries in Indiana to attend an ALA/Harwood Institute for Public Innovation Lab.
See photos on our Facebook page>>
Fortune cookies are fun, but don't leave your library's future up to chance: MCLS has your recipe for success!It's almost time for ILF! The Indiana Library Federation Annual Conference is in Indianapolis Nov. 13-15, and we'll be at booth #63. Stop by and say "Hi" to MCLS staff!
Tell us what services you'd like to hear about to receive a fortune cookie, with a chance to win a free Training Workshop, a full-size candy bar, or a cookie recipe from MCLS staff members! Libraries who aren't current members of MCLS can be entered into a drawing for a one-year free membership. We look forward to seeing you!
lead your next meetingMCLS staff are available to facilitate group discussions for your library. Whether they be strategy sessions, executive sessions, task forces, community gatherings, or staff meetings, MCLS staff can lead the discussion, keep the group focused, and guide groups to effective solutions. We recently facilitated a strategic planning retreat for the Paw Paw District Library (MI), a customer service discussion for the Hussey Mayfield Public Library in Zionsville (IN), and will be facilitating staff discussions for the Indiana State Library's strategic planning process this fall.
Contact us to discuss your facilitation needs>>
for DecemberWe'll be gathering together in both states in December to discuss community engagement efforts at your libraries. Attendance is free and open to anyone with interest in community engagement, but pre-registration is requested.
For this round of conversations, we'll gather at Monroe County Public Library in Bloominton, IN on Dec. 1 and at Redford Township District Library in MI on Dec. 14.
Our next online coffee and chat with MCLS Executive Director Randy Dykhuis will be Friday, Nov. 10, at 9am Eastern (8am Central). This is an open chat, a chance to ask Randy any questions you have and talk about what MCLS can do for you, our members. No need to register; just follow the steps on our webpage to go to the Zoom meeting!
Get instructions on setting up Zoom on your computer and logging into the chat>>
Best practices in makerspacesJoin us on Nov. 16 at 2pm Eastern (1pm Central) for our Third Thursday Twitter chat. This month's topic is "Best practices in makerspaces." Special guests will be Leanne Nay, Digital Engagement Librarian at the Herman B. Wells Library, Indiana University, Bloomington and Rich Weiland, Systems Administrator & Makerspace at Adams Public Library, Decatur, IN. They will give us more information on polices, equipment, and use of their makerspaces. Use the hashtag #MCLSchat.
New to Twitter? Here are instructions.
Did you miss our October chat on accessibility barriers to library services? We archived it for you.
Did you know that over 60 percent of MCLS members get some of their electronic resources through MCLS, making it the most popular service that we offer? Did you know that 483 different libraries sent staff to at least one MCLS workshop last year? Did you know that dozens of librarians enhanced their community engagement skills through workshops and roundtables sponsored and organized by MCLS? These are a few nuggets from my annual report to the MCLS Board of Directors. I wanted to share a few highlights from my fiscal year 2017 report, which covers the period from July 1, 2016 through June 30, 2017.
We are excited to announce that, beginning Nov. 1, MCLS and MeLCat/RIDES webinars will be using Zoom online software (replacing WebEx.) This should help make our online workshops even more user-friendly, open to more participants, and create new opportunities for how we offer our workshops in the future. We have been using Zoom for many meetings over the past year, and our staff has found it to be quite intuitive. We have created a new document of Online Tips for Attendees. If you plan to take webinars from us in the near future, we encourage you to use this document as a tool when downloading the free Zoom software onto your computer. We feel confident in a smooth transition, but if you have any trouble when logging into upcoming webinars, please contact our IT department at 1-800-530-9019 ext 409.
For more information, visit our upcoming workshops and events page. The next semester of workshops (January - June 2018) will be posted there around Thanksgiving. If you have any questions, please contact training@mcls.org.
We are quickly approaching the end of 2017. The new year brings about resolutions, snow, and new subscriptions to many big deal eJournal packages. MCLS and our vendor partners are offering you, our members, open enrollment for featured eJournal packages.
The Wiley Online Library Bookstore is designed to simplify and expedite the order process for online books, online reference works, and online journal backfiles. Browse, search, and easily purchase access to Wiley content without paperwork or waiting. Spend less time responding to spontaneous requests for content from your colleagues. Contact MCLS today at services@mcls.org or 800-530-9019 ext 401 for the discount code.
Use code OKT17 to receive 22 percent off one print and/or one eBook order on R2library.com and 22 percent off all R2 PDA titles purchased Nov. 1 to Dec. 15, 2017. Save an additional one percent on one print order placed through Rittenhouse.com. For more information or to place an order, please contact Nicole Gallo, nicole.gallo@rittenhouse.com with Rittenhouse.
Easily visualize and analyze data and statistics about the U.S. government and political process with U.S. Political Stats. Researchers will discover a wealth of carefully selected content including election returns from 1980 to the present, congressional floor votes, Supreme Court decisions, presidential performance and economic indicators, as well as diverse demographics. Designed to be intuitive for the novice researcher, yet robust enough for senior political scientists, this platform allows researchers to create graphs, charts, and maps for a quick analysis of data trends.
Four libraries joined the MeLCat family this fall! Welcome to Fruitport District Library, Ionia Community Library, Dorothy Hull Library, and Richfield Township Public Library.
The MeLCat Resource Sharing Advisory Committee has been working on some revisions to MeLCat Policy. Once all the changes have been approved, it will be announced on the MeLCat email list. If you need to subscribe to the MeLCat email list, contact us at melcathelp@mcls.org.
MeLCat questions and comments should be sent to melcathelp@mcls.org.
The MeL project is funded by the Federal Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) via the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) through the Library of Michigan, part of the Michigan Department of Education. Additional funding is provided by the State of Michigan.
Have you been reading the Righting RIDES Wrongs emails? This series of short, informational articles have been posted monthly to the RIDES email list.
View archived emails on the MeLCat wiki – mcls.org/rightingrideswrongs – using the normal wiki username and password to access.
RIDES questions and comments should be sent to the RIDES Assistance form.
