Page last updated Wednesday, July 29, at 12:55pm.

During the current global coronavirus pandemic, MCLS is open and as responsive and supportive as possible through any restrictions your library may face. At the same time, we are also being as conscientious as possible about not putting our staff or others at risk for virus transmission.

We are actively monitoring coronavirus/COVID-19 activity and response information from a variety of sources, including in Indiana and Michigan, nationally via the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Institute of Library and Museum Services (IMLS), the REALM Project, and in all types of libraries we serve. We will continue serving member libraries to the greatest extent possible during this situation.

We are seeking as much flexibility as we can from members, clients, vendors, partners, and others during this time, for scheduled events, invoices, and other services. 

Until further notice, the MCLS office in Lansing, MI is closed to visitors. We will continue receiving deliveries and handling mail, and all staff will work from home. Staff will be available by phone, email and online as needed.

If you have questions about this or other MCLS information, please continue to contact us  by phone or email, and we will respond as quickly as possible. Thank you for your patience as the pandemic continues to evolve.

We will update the information below on an ongoing basis.

Consulting
Our Engagement, Consulting, and Training (ECT) staff continue working with 2020 consulting clients to determine how to move forward with their projects.

Engagement
Our ECT staff have hosted a series of online virtual dialogues with libraries throughout Indiana and Michigan, and recordings are available. Please watch your email for future dialogue date and time announcements.

eResource Access
Over 50 publishers and other content providers are offering complimentary expanded access currently, and have also responded to a request for information about how they are operating during the crisis (both links courtesy of the International Coalition of Library Consortia [ICOLC]).

The Internet Archive offers the Open Library collection, via controlled digital lending.

Our Group Purchasing staff is working with our eResource vendors whose content has simultaneous user limits to suspend those limits, as many colleges and universities have moved many courses online for the fall semester.

Please follow access updates on our website.

In-Person Meetings
While we are not attending in-person meetings at this time, we continue to be available via phone, Teams, Zoom, and other means as needed.

In-Person Training
Our staff continue working to move all in-person training online (synchronously or asynchronously as appropriate).

MeLCat and RIDES
MeLCat borrowing and lending and RIDES service has resumed for most libraries.

Other Information
In addition to many colleges and universities including Michigan State University, some public libraries including Kent District Library and Seattle Public Library have posted specific information about their response to coronavirus that libraries may find useful. EveryLibrary, Library Journal, the National Library of Medicine, and OSHA also have useful coronavirus information.