Contents: Executive Director | News | Training | Special Offers | Vendor and Product News
As part of our work to engage with, strengthen, and support libraries, many MCLS staff work hard to support and participate in fall conferences. Here’s a brief rundown of where we’ll be in October and November, and we look forward to seeing you at a conference session or our exhibit booth.
A note from Stephanie Davis upon retirement It’s time for me to say goodbye. When my retirement was announced in early 2024, it seemed far, far away and the idea of crafting a goodbye message promptly went to the backburner, but now that time has come. Choosing librarianship as a career has been one of my best life decisions and I am thankful to be part of a profession focused on helping connect library users with the information they need.
It has been a true pleasure and privilege to serve the MCLS libraries...
Indiana and Michigan libraries select MCLS to provide consulting servicesWe are pleased to announce that Dowagiac District Library (MI), Pendleton Community Public Library (IN), and New Carlisle-Olive Township Public Library (IN) have all booked dates for Midwest Collaborative for Library Services to provide staff development days on various topics this fall, winter, and spring. In addition, Capital Area District Library (CADL) in Michigan has chosen us to facilitate their Strategic Planning project, which will begin this winter. We are looking forward to partnering with all of these MCLS member libraries!
Is your library looking for library-specific consultants, presenters, or facilitators? MCLS can help! Visit our webpage to read more or contact us to request a quote. Questions? Email engagement@mcls.org.
ConsortiaManager CornerMCLS eLicensing and Collections Resources (eLCR) staff members continue to work on uploading license terms in ConsortiaManager (CM). Previously, license terms were accessed through the MCLS website on each vendor page. As we prepare to move to a new website, we are moving them to CM.
To assist you in locating and understanding terminology used in CM, we have recorded a three-minute video that demonstrates the process. This is an ongoing project that won’t ever end as license terms are continuously in need of review and update. You can still request license terms by emailing us at services@mcls.org.
On Sept. 3, MCLS staff welcomed Sarah Beaubien and Michael Troup. While our staff has enjoyed getting to know them over the past month, we wanted to help you get to know them, too. Both were excellent sports about answering questions about what makes them tick.
Q & A with eLicensing and Collection Resources Manager, Sarah Beaubien
As eLicensing and Collection Resources Manager, Sarah leads and manages eLicensing, renewals, and product purchases. She also provides leadership for collection needs and areas such as Open Access and shared print initiatives. She was happy to share more about herself...
Q & A with Systems Analyst, Michael Troup
Michael comes to MCLS with a background in IT and tech work for a parochial school. We asked him to share a little more about himself...
New semester of training workshops is now available! Visit the MCLS Store for the full summer/fall 2024 semester of training workshops and to see all workshops currently open for registration!
Questions? Contact Gwen at training@mcls.org or 517-220-9950.
What’s new in training? There are many exciting training opportunities coming up in the next few months - both brand-new workshops and returning workshops taught by new instructors. These include:
The MeL project was made possible in part by the Institute of Museum and Library Services through the Library of Michigan.
The MCLS website has a full list of vendor partners and a searchable product list.
EBSCO introduces new literature resource: LitBaseMCLS members have direct URL and Login Credentials to access a LitBase trial. LitBase is a world literature database with a modern search experience. A curated collection of critical primary texts and secondary sources, it supports research of the most studied authors, poetry, fiction, plays, and creative nonfiction worldwide.
Students, researchers, and faculty will benefit from the global nature of this vast literature database covering diverse authors and genres. LitBase includes over 425,000 primary sources, 100,000 secondary and reference sources, and hundreds of full-text scholarly journals and literary magazines to support literature research. LitBase and MLA International Bibliography with Full Text come together to create a comprehensive research experience for all.
For trial access, reach out to MCLS eLicensing and Collection Resources at services@mcls.org or 517-939-1382.
Rock’s Backpages is your library’s source for music journalismMCLS is pleased to announce its new vendor partnership with Rock’s Backpages. The world's biggest archive of music journalism and pop writing of the last 60 years, Rock’s Backpages possess a unique space in the world of eResources, offering users access to an archive of content about music and popular culture. It contains a library of primary source full text articles, featuring music greats like ABBA and Zappa. Over 800 audio interviews with music legends like Jimi Hendrix provide an added dimension to the resource. Rock’s Backpages covers all popular-music genres from rockabilly to hip hop, R&B, country, and electronica (EDM).
Discounted pricing for MCLS members makes this resource an affordable option for libraries and has proved invaluable to students and enthusiasts not only of popular music but of journalism, social history, cultural studies, American studies, history, and media studies. Rock's Backpages is also increasingly popular with public libraries as an engaging resource for patrons of all ages.
For more information or to request a trial, reach out to MCLS eLicensing and Collection Resources at services@mcls.org or 517-939-1382.
Public library advertising packages are available from Nexstar DigitalMCLS is partnering with Nexstar Digital, a leading diversified media company that produces and distributes engaging local and national news, sports, and entertainment content across television and digital platforms. Nexstar owns the largest local broadcasting group in America comprising of top network affiliates with 200 owned or partner stations in 116 U.S. markets that reach 220 million people.
Nexstar Digital's proprietary advertising technologies will enable MCLS’s public library members to create personalized, omnichannel marketing programs that target custom audiences and enhance consumer experiences across all platforms. Through this partnership, public libraries can reach a wider portion of their communities, sharing news and information about the value and importance of their offerings. The goals of this partnership are to both increase community awareness of your library as a valuable resource and highlight the many services you offer.
An informational webinar with MCLS and Nexstar Digital was held on Sept. 25. Watch the recording here.
For more information on the available package deals, reach out to MCLS eLicensing and Collection Resources at services@mcls.org or 517-939-1382.
Visit the eResources page of the MCLS website for a full list of vendor partners and a searchable product list.
Join the DOAJ Community Webinar on Oct. 10 The Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ) is a unique, growing index of about 21,000 diverse open access journals whose services and metadata are embedded in libraries across the world. On Thursday, Oct. 10, 2-3 p.m. Eastern (1-2 p.m. Central), MCLS will host an informational webinar on DOAJ.
Attendees will learn the basics of DOAJ including what it is and how it is used by researchers, librarians, and organizations worldwide. We will also explore the process of DOAJ indexing from when a journal applies to its acceptance, and how DOAJ contributes to the current (and future) global Open Access landscape. Throughout the webinar we will discuss what DOAJ does beyond being an index of Open Access journals, and how the community can use all the different resources available.
DOAJ relies on contributions from libraries to run its services; we'll explain why this is important, and how MCLS libraries can support their work.
For information on how your institution can support DOAJ financially, reach out to MCLS eLicensing and Collection Resources at services@mcls.org or 517-939-1382.
New vendor spotlight: Meescan self-checkout solutionsMCLS is pleased to announce our new vendor partner, Meescan, a self-checkout solution with kiosks and a smartphone app that’s simple for libraries to install and effortless for patrons to use. It allows librarians to get on with what they do best: organizing the library’s database, reaching out to the local community, helping people track down information, and engaging with patrons.
Meescan is designed to be much simpler than traditional self-checkout systems and easy for librarians and patrons to use. With an intuitive design, training needs are minimal. Complimentary live and online training demos are available.
New subscribing academic and public library members will be granted 15% volume discount for the first year of Meescan subscription and then 10% for the following years of active Meescan subscription.
For more information and to request a quote, reach out to MCLS eLicensing and Collection Resources at services@mcls.org or 517-939-1382.
