Contents:
News | Executive Director | Training | Special Offers | MeL
By an overwhelming majority vote, our member representatives elected the proposed slate of Board of Directors members. Congratulations to Trista Smith, Marion Frank-Wilson, Rain Smith, Polly Boruff-Jones, and Lisa Waskin.
These directors will attend a planning retreat with the current Board on Nov. 8-9 and will serve from January 2022 – December 2024.
Join MCLS at fall conference boothsFall conference season is just about upon us again! We look forward to opportunities to safely engage with you, our members and friends in Indiana and Michigan.
MCLS will have booths (virtual or in person) coming up at MLA Annual 2021: Connect to the Future (Oct. 13-14), MAME 48: A 3-Ring Circus (Oct. 13-15), and ILF Annual 2021: Forward Bound (Nov. 15-17).
Whether your library is a current member of MCLS or not, we'd love to see you (online or in person) and tell you more about how we can support you in promoting wellbeing and supporting your community. Stop by to meet some of our staff, enter for lots of great giveaways, and much more fun. We look forward to connecting with you!
Join the Product Advisory Librarians to shape the future of MCLS group purchasesMCLS is seeking library staff from all types of libraries who want to help shape future group purchases. Our vision for the Product Advisory Librarians (PALs) is to test and trial products and provide feedback. This information will help us determine the direction for product offerings in a more thoughtful manner.
Benefits for PALs:
Registration is open for LEAP 2021!On Thursday, Nov. 4, 2021, library staff from around the state of Michigan will gather on Zoom for Libraries Engaging Appreciatively for Positive Change (LEAP) 2021! This one-full-day virtual event is a continuation of our partnership with the Library of Michigan and our shared Michigan Libraries Engage project. LEAP 2021 will introduce up to 100 more participants to Appreciative Inquiry and how to use it for community engagement.
Maureen McKenna of Return on Energy Consulting, an internationally respected and highly sought-out expert in the field of Appreciative Inquiry, and co-creator of LEAP 2020, will again be facilitating the program along with MCLS's Engagement, Consulting, & Training team. The skills and knowledge gained will support library staff members in both developing new community engagement initiatives and strengthening initiatives already in progress, as well as in strengthening personal relationships and conversations. Following the program, attendees can participate in six months of optional facilitated learning and coaching via Zoom meetings.
Watch the email lists for sneak peeks and to hear from 2020 participants over the next couple of weeks, or visit the event page today for more information or to grab your spot before they're full.
Each October, we at MCLS anticipate our Board of Directors’ annual fall retreat. Our Board members always appreciate knowing what’s on library leaders’ and staff’s minds leading up to the retreat, as they and I discuss MCLS’s future together. Recently, I’ve started a new series of conversations with library directors in Indiana and Michigan, using questions I co-created with some Board members and staff. This month, I’ll share the questions and summarize some responses I’ve heard so far from some academic and public libraries. I plan to talk with school and special library leaders soon.
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.
With the BiblioBoard suite of products and services, the possibilities for engaging your local creative community are endless.
For a quote or more information, contact Chrystal Pickell Vandervest at services@mcls.org or (800) 530-9019 ext 401.
Perpetua by Arkivum integrates with your existing institutional data repositories to automatically collect and archive your data. Perpetua thereby safeguards your data with multiple data locations, comprehensive audit trails, and more!
Perpetua provides a digital archiving SaaS solution built on data management principles (including FAIR) to safeguard and preserve a wide range of content types. It also ensures the accessibility of both born-digital and digitized material. One example of how Perpetua achieves this is through the normalization of files whereby a copy is created and automatically maintained in a format that can be opened and read by future hardware and software.
For a quote or more information, contact Chrystal Pickell Vandervest at services@mcls.org or (800) 530-9019 ext 401.
RAND State Statistics is expanding its offerings at non-profit prices. In operation since 1998 with median time series of more than 20 years, the site has an intuitive User Interface with detailed and diverse data covering demographics, health care, and crime to economics and government finance.
Rather than spending hours (or days) deciphering arcane public and other data, patrons and library staff can simply point, click, view, and download clearly defined tables, charts, and maps. The site’s “Fast Facts” allows quick comparisons of nearly 100 variables for 3,300 counties and states. Academic and public subscribers include Princeton University, the University of Texas, and the Los Angeles Public Library.
For a quote or trial, contact Chrystal Pickell Vandervest at services@mcls.org or (800) 530-9019 ext 401.
The Mango Languages learning system combines award-winning learning technologies and proven methodologies to bring functional language skills to millions worldwide. Self-paced lessons, interactive pronunciation features, and an anytime-anywhere app keep learners engaged and motivated to level up their language skills.
Watch Mango Languages in action
The award-winning Mango Classroom for K-12 is built on Mango’s conversation-focused methodology, with content structured to identify skill levels and track achievements in over 70 world languages and more than 20 English courses. It includes tools that automate grading, track progress, and personalize review, plus curriculum mapping and professional development.
Learn more about Mango at an upcoming informational webinar on Wednesday, Oct. 13, 2021, at 10am Eastern (9am Central). Reserve your spot today!
Find out about MCLS discounts for Mango Languages by requesting a quote. Contact Group Purchasing at services@mcls.org or (800) 530-9019 ext 401.
This is a great time for MCLS members who are considering participating in JSTOR or ARTSTOR for the first time or adding new journal collections to their current JSTOR holdings. The journal collections in JSTOR include more than 12 million articles from peer-reviewed scholarly and literary journals, as well as research reports and primary sources from libraries’ special collections and archives.
ARTSTOR is moving to the JSTOR platform and more than 2 million images from ARTSTOR are now discoverable on JSTOR. ARTSTOR provides faculty and students with a complete image resource in a wide array of subjects with the breadth and depth to add context beyond the confines of your discipline.
Exclusive offers for MCLS members available through December 2021 include:
JSTOR also continues to offer libraries the opportunity to participate in JSTOR’s Open Community Collections. Make your special collections freely available on the JSTOR platform.
An informational webinar will be held on Wednesday, Oct. 20, 2021 at 11am Eastern (10am Central) where changes with ARTSTOR, current special offers, and the Community Collection will be outlined. Register today!
For more information or a quote, contact MCLS Group Purchasing at services@mcls.org or (800) 530-9019 ext 401.
The technology systems that libraries use can inadvertently create barriers to students and faculty connecting with important content. Having to navigate confusing link resolver menus, hitting dead ends due to OpenURL errors, and being unaware of available Open Access content are all common factors that can derail the research process. The result can be wasted researcher time, unnecessary library help desk and ILL requests, and general user dissatisfaction with library services.
LibKey, a new, AI-powered linking technology from Third Iron, creates fast, reliable, and context-aware linking that avoids these problems. LibKey delivers one-click access to millions of articles and is more reliable than OpenURL.
Additionally, LibKey is Open Access aware, linking to Open Access (OA) content even if the journal is not listed in your holdings report. By linking users to as much available content as possible, LibKey is a uniquely valuable tool for libraries having to cope with budget challenges, ensuring seamless access to as much full text as possible from any point of discovery.
For a quote or more information, contact Chrystal Pickell Vandervest at (800) 530-9019 ext 401 or services@mcls.org.
As the MeLCat fiscal year (Oct.1, 2020 - Sep. 30, 2021) comes to a close, we are on track to finish the year with the highest MeLCat fill rate ever, over 93%! This amazing accomplishment is a testament to the hard work of library staff at MeLCat libraries around the state. The year also included the best individual month ever, as June 2021 had a 97.9% fill rate.
MeLCat is happy to welcome back all of the libraries that have returned to participation from their summer suspensions.
Notify us if you need assistance with anything by emailing us at melcathelp@mcls.org.
MeLCat is a statewide multi-type library resource sharing program. MeL was made possible in part by the Institute of Museum and Library Services. Additional funding is provided by the State of Michigan and the Library of Michigan Foundation.
