MLC and INCOLSA have engaged a merger consultant, FIO Partners, to work with the boards and staffs to determine whether it is in the best interests of each organization to merge operations. Our first meeting with Jane Arsenault, the lead consultant for FIO Partners, is scheduled for July 29. We expect to have more information after that meeting.

Last year, MLC and INCOLSA began to share work on some services. In September 2008, MLC extended its group licensing for databases, ejournals, and ebooks to INCOLSA members and opened up a number of new e-resources to them. This spring, with the introduction of OCLC’s new service model, we agreed to work together to implement the changes for our two states. MLC is providing billing information to INCOLSA members and INCOLSA is providing marketing information about OCLC products and services to MLC members. Exploring a merger is the next logical step.