This month’s featured trainer, Mahasin Martinson, currently works in the IT Department at the Indianapolis Public Library. Originally from Lansing, Michigan, Mahasin bridges our two membership states, and has been a lifelong patron of libraries. She has volunteered and worked in public libraries for over 15 years. In May 2016, Mahasin completed her master’s degree …Read more »

Libraries Read: 1 Book Libraries Read: 1 Book is an annual “library community read” project focusing on professional development. Library staff from all types of libraries are encouraged to participate by voting on which book should be selected, then participate in the discussion, whether online or in-person. For the third year in a row, MCLS …Read more »

Last month, I wrote about the necessity of being future-oriented as we work to keep libraries strong, vibrant, community hubs. I talked about the ways that MCLS is responding to input from our community – you, our members in Indiana and Michigan – and some of the changes we are making in response to the …Read more »

Vicki Bloom is a new instructor for MCLS, and will be teaching this month’s featured workshop, Purposeful reference: Developing connections and outcomes through research consultations. Some fun facts about Vicki: She has worked in libraries in four different states, including medical, special, public, and academic libraries. During her first week as a medical librarian, she …Read more »

Wayne Gretzky’s father famously admonished his son to “skate to where the puck is going, not where it has been.” That aphorism has been repeated a gazillion times. It was used to run a tech company (Steve Jobs) and to manage an investment portfolio (Warren Buffet). As much as the tech industry or stock investors, …Read more »

Two more of our member public libraries have been paired up through the MCLS “Library Match” program. The Hastings Public Library in Hastings, MI and the Monticello-Union Township Public Library in Monticello, IN have been paired up to learn from one another and share ideas, solutions, and mutual inspiration. What makes them a match? Hastings …Read more »

As a result of input from libraries throughout Indiana, MCLS is developing a consulting service to work with libraries on community engagement, strategic planning, and meeting facilitation. As part of our service development, we are offering a grant opportunity to our Indiana member libraries who are Class C or D public libraries. This competitive grant …Read more »

We had a great response to our call for PALs and we want to say thank you! Librarians from K12, academic, public, law, and government libraries in both Indiana and Michigan all responded, and we are really looking forward to receiving your suggestions and feedback on new products. If you signed up to be a …Read more »

Step out. Take a risk. Dare to make a difference. Keynote speakers Maxine Bleiweis and Barbara Dewey urged attendees at this year’s Annual Meeting to become better innovators. They spoke from their experience as library directors: Bleiweis at The Westport Library in Connecticut and Dewey at Penn State University. Both highlighted the ways that they …Read more »

MCLS facilitated 24 conversations throughout Indiana and Michigan in 2016 with 283 library staff from multi-types of libraries participating.  The conversations were a “deeper dive” into themes that arose from a series of conversations held in 2014. Those conversations used the “Community Conversation” tool of the Harwood Institute for Public Innovation to ask library staff …Read more »