Contents: Executive Director | News | Training | Special Offers | Vendor Spotlight
MCLS joined the Project ReShare community in 2019, and as of September 2023, MCLS and Project ReShare have decided it is in the best interests of both entities to part ways.
MCLS is the single largest financial contributor to date to Project ReShare’s effort to create new resource sharing software that is currently in use at over 100 libraries. I’m pleased that we have played a significant part in ReShare’s development, and thank the following colleagues for their efforts toward library resource sharing innovation...
Help us create the website you need MCLS is currently in the research stage of a complete website redesign and we need your help!
Our partner in this project, 3Lane Marketing, has created a survey we encourage you to fill out by 5 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 6. Your feedback and insights will help them develop and design mcls.org. The survey is open to any and all stakeholders and partners! The anticipated time to complete is approximately 7 minutes. We value your insights and look forward to seeing your response!
Thank you for your support.
Connect with MCLS staff at fall conferencesMCLS began its annual conference season in September at the Upper Peninsula Region of Library Cooperation Annual Conference. Moving into October and November, staff from across our organization will attend, host booths, and present at various conferences across our region (and beyond)!
The following is a list of conferences we're attending including our presence level:
We'll have lots of prizes at our booths and would love to talk to you about how MCLS can serve your library! To set up a Group purchasing appointment, please email services@mcls.org in advance.
Welcome, new board members!By an overwhelming majority vote, our member representatives elected the proposed slate of board members to serve from Jan. 1, 2024 to Dec. 31, 2025. The newly-elected slate includes:
New board members will join the current board for their annual planning retreat on Nov. 2-4. Congratulations!
Current TALK libraries: set up your subscription by Dec. 1 to continue service in 2024MCLS is steadily working on TALK's transition from a fully IMLS grant-funded program to an MCLS subscription-based service. To facilitate setting up your account in our system, we need to know if you are planning to offer TALK to your patrons after the grant ends in July 2024.
IMLS grant funds will cover the TALK subscription service for a longer period than anticipated, so we are able to delay subscription service billing to Jan. 1, 2024! Invoices will be available in MCLS’s subscription management system (Consortia Manager) by Dec. 1, 2023. Free text block voucher distribution will remain in place and the subscription fee will be prorated based on the shorter subscription year (1/1/24-6/30/24). Any unused texts will roll over to the next year as long as your library continues with an active TALK subscription.
Please fill out this form no later than Dec. 1 to let us know if your library will continue to offer TALK. If we do not hear from you by Dec. 1, we will assume you plan to no longer offer TALK to your patrons after July 31, 2024.
Visit the Frequently Asked Questions for Libraries page for more information or email your questions to talkhelp@mcls.org. Thank you for using TALK!
Register now for the last Virtual Dialogue of 2023The final Virtual Dialogue of 2023 will be on Wednesday, Nov. 8, from 10:30 a.m. to noon Eastern (9:30-11 a.m. Central). Join us on Zoom as we continue discussing components of cultivating a growth mindset – this time focusing on choosing your mindset in building a trusting and collaborative environment.
MCLS Virtual Dialogues are guided conversations with fellow library workers from different experience levels and library types from all over Indiana and Michigan.
We hope to see you on Nov. 8!
Michigan libraries select MCLS to provide staff day trainingWe are excited that Gladwin County District Library in Gladwin, MI and the Lansing Community College Library in Lansing, MI have both selected MCLS to provide staff day trainings this month.
MCLS can serve you, too! Our Engagement, Consulting, and Training team would love to come to your library and guide your staff through a half- or whole-day training session or facilitated discussion. We are library-specific consultants, presenters, and facilitators offering a variety of topics of interest to Indiana and Michigan libraries. Visit our webpage to read more or fill out our contact form to request a quote today!
Visit the MCLS Store for the full summer/fall 2023 semester of training workshops. Questions? Contact Gwen at training@mcls.org or 517-220-9950.
The MeL project was made possible in part by the Institute of Museum and Library Services through the Library of Michigan.
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.
The MCLS website has a full list of vendor partners and a searchable product list.
MCLS members: learn about LibCal by Springshare, an alternative to DEMCO calendarsCalendars, spaces, and appointments—oh my! LibCal makes your customer-facing calendars easy for patrons and staff alike. The add-on Lending Hub module expands LibCal's functionality, making it easy to create and manage Library of Things collections, as well as physical and digital museum passes! LibCal's modules are fully interactive with each other, so creating an Event can also book the Space and the Equipment.
Join Sarah Probst, Springshare Consortium Sales Manager, to learn more about this flexible calendaring software, a great solution whether you're starting from scratch or replacing an existing product. She will cover product highlights, including:
Wednesday, Oct. 11, 10 a.m. Eastern (9 a.m. Central)
Thursday, Oct. 19, 2 p.m. Eastern (1 p.m. Central)
These webinars are only available to MCLS Members. Not a member? Join today!
MCLS members: get a limited-time discount on the LibCal event registration softwareWith Demco's recent announcement that it will discontinue D!Bs, Events, Room Reserve, SignUp, and Spaces, many libraries are desperately seeking an alternative room and event reservation system. MCLS Group Purchasing has worked out a deal with Springshare to help facilitate our members' switch to a new software.
MCLS members are eligible for 15% off total LibCal and Module (Lending Hub and/or Mapping) list price for MCLS members through Dec. 1, 2023. Please note the following restrictions:
Take a look at the price example below:
LibCal base ($1099) + 20 Spaces ($899) + Lending Hub for 50 pieces ($699) = $2,697 x 15% discount = $2,292
Reach out to Group Purchasing for more information and quotes at services@mcls.org. Not an MCLS member? Join today so you don't miss out on this deal!
Discounts on SAGE resources designed to enhance student learning this fallMCLS and Sage are pleased to announce fall savings on key student learning products. Support students in their academic journey with Sage Research Methods. This tool helps students conduct effective social science research by providing step-by-step research guidance and equipping them to make maximum impact. Sage Skills empowers students for success in college and the work world. The Student Success product focuses on core learning skills like academic writing, critical thinking, information literacy, intercultural awareness, and study strategies. The Business Skills component looks at the knowledge and abilities needed to succeed in the work environment.
Individual product and bundle discounts are available. See the flyer for more information and deadlines. Contact Group Purchasing at services@mcls.org or 517-939-1382.
MCLS announces a new partnership with the Directory of Open Access JournalsThrough its partnership with MCLS, DOAJ offers libraries the opportunity to participate as either a basic or a sustaining supporter at discounted rates. Benefits of becoming a supporter include helping to secure a key part of the infrastructure for diverse and inclusive scholarly communication and keeping it library-aligned. With access to DOAJ’s logo and having your institution listed on DOAJ’s website alongside all other supporters worldwide, you show students, researchers, and faculty that you take a stand for their interests.
A new product is available through MCLS: New York Times | All AccessAs of Sept. 1, MCLS is authorized to license a new product from the NYT: New York Times | All Access. We will still provide New York Times: News Access, which provides institutional access to NYTimes.com and The New York Times News App. This includes global reporting, commentary, culture and much more, including audio and video, on both nytimes.com and the NYT news app for iOS and Android.
The following are FAQs about All Access:
Looking to add more journal titles to your library's eResources collection? Consider one of the many MCLS eJournal group purchases! Vendors offering journal collections include American Chemical Society, Association of Computing Machinery, Cambridge University Press, Duke University Press, Oxford University Press, Project MUSE (see the new package below), SAGE Publications, SpringerNature, University of Chicago Press, and Wiley Publications. To learn more about MCLS's collection offerings, visit our Vendor pages.
A new eJournal package is now available: Project MUSE 2024 PLUS+ Package
Expand your library's access to timely and trusted scholarship with the Project MUSE Journals PLUS+ Package, a large bundle of journal titles that are part of the journal hosting program on the MUSE platform, and are not included in any of MUSE's curated journal collections. The package is an affordable and convenient way to both add vital, current, peer-reviewed literature to your collection, and support academy-owned and independent non-profit publishers.
If you are interesting in learning more about Project MUSE, or any of the other journal collections offerings, call Group Purchasing at 517-939-1382 or email services@mcls.org.
Register now for an open access webinar with Elsevier Publishers, researchers, and librarians continue grappling with the ongoing transition of moving scholarly content from behind the paywall to open access. They face common questions such as: What are the current trends in the US and around the world? How are institutions navigating the change? What publishing models are working? What about the general public? How is open access content being made available to them?
If you find yourself pondering these and other open access questions, register to join James Picken, Director of Open Science Solutions at Elsevier, for an informative and engaging discussion on all things open access. The webinar takes place on Wednesday, Oct. 25, 9:30-10:30 a.m. Eastern (8:30-9:30 a.m. Central).
