Mea culpa. Yes, I made a mistake during my update at last week’s annual membership meeting. During my recitation of the past year’s events and actions, I should have prominently featured the change in our membership structure and dues that will be effective July 2011. I’ve heard from some of you that you felt blindsided by the news, which was released shortly after the annual meeting. For that I offer my apologies. It was an egregious oversight on my part, but a sin of omission and not one of commission, as a minister in my childhood church may have put it. It was not my intent to hide the change or try to slide it by anyone.

The rest of this post says what I should have said during my presentation.

MLC and INCOLSA had membership structures that were quite different. MLC has always had a single, low membership fee that everyone paid, no matter the size or type of library. That fee has been remarkably stable at $125 since 1996.

INCOLSA’s fee structure was quite different. It had 30 different categories, and the membership dues varied depending on the size and type of library. Every member fell into a category defined by their type and population served. It was a graduated scale, with smaller libraries paying lower fees than larger libraries. But not all small libraries paid the same amount. For example, the smallest K12 members paid less than the smallest academic libraries.

One of the first items of business for the interim Board was a new membership fee structure. We wanted the decision made early so that you would have plenty of advance notice about the changes. The changes take effect with the membership year that starts July 1, 2011.

The ad hoc Board committee appointed to study the issue was not comfortable with either legacy structure. The flat-rate for everyone seemed unfair, and the highly graduated scale used by INCOLSA seemed overly-complex. After much conversation and consideration, the committee created a structure with four tiers, which the Board considered and debated and ultimately accepted. The four tiers are primarily based on on size and type of library. The new structure also accounts for the value different types of libraries derive from their membership. The Board wanted the membership fee to recognize the fact that some libraries make much use of our services and find greater value in their MCLS membership.

As part of the revision process, the Board looked at the dues charged by other consortia. We discovered that the revised schedule compares quite favorably with other library consortia. Many of them have dues schedules where the lowest fee is higher than our highest fee. That was encouraging.

You can see the membership fee schedule here. Some libraries will see an increase and some will see a decrease in their membership invoices, which will be sent in spring 2011. Indiana libraries at the very low end of the INCOLSA schedule and Michigan academic, medical, and large public libraries will see increases. Some Indiana academic, special, K12, and public libraries will see decreases.

No one at MCLS took this task lightly. Much of the debate focused on the question of affordability and a member’s ability to find another $60 or $125 for our membership fee when budgets are already spread thin. For us the optimum solution is always the greatest value for the least cost to members. With that principle as our starting point, we think we did a good job with the new membership fee structure.

Whether you agree or disagree, I’d love to hear from you.