Today MLC and INCOLSA jointly issued this press release:
Lansing, MI – August 12, 2009 – Building on the collaborative relationship of the past year, the Michigan Library Consortium (MLC) and INCOLSA, Inc., announced that they have entered into a formal investigation to merge the two organizations.
A merger design team consisting of MLC Executive Director Randy Dykhuis, INCOLSA Interim Executive Director Marnie Maxwell, and three members each from the INCOLSA Executive Committee and the MLC Board of Directors met at the end of July to establish a process for the merger. The due diligence process is underway. The timeline calls for a Memorandum of Understanding to be approved by both governing boards in mid-November.
“Our library members are challenged by the current economy, so it is in everyone’s best interest that we look for ways to control costs,” said Dykhuis. “The OCLC and group licensing cooperative initiatives between MLC and INCOLSA have been very well received by the members of both networks. Our governing boards have agreed that a merger of the two organizations is the next logical step.”
Over the next several months the merger design team will explore all aspects of the merger. “A critical component of the potential merger is gathering input from the members of both organizations,” said Maxwell. “INCOLSA and MLC will hold regional meetings later this year to ensure our members have a chance to make their voices heard as we embark on this next phase of delivering the highest quality service to our libraries.”
I’m very excited about the potential merger with INCOLSA. We still have a long way to go but so far things look promising.
We live in exceptionally uncertain times and given the changes we’ve already seen, I think it makes a lot of sense to look at a larger membership and geographic region. The merger will allow us to offer new services that will benefit libraries and library users in both states as well as create more favorable economies of scale for existing services. It’s a win-win-win proposition for our members, our members’ users, and us.
