During this global pandemic, everything is changing day to day and everyone is disrupted and uncertain. We at MCLS continue working actively and adaptively to do all we can for libraries. Here are some resources that may be useful during this difficult time, some of which are also listed on the MCLS coronavirus/COVID-19 response page.
Indiana’s INSPIRE, the Michigan eLibrary, and other statewide digital collections remain available. Indiana’s INfoExpress and Michigan’s RIDES delivery services are both suspended for the time being while couriers focus on health and medical deliveries. Please see the Indiana State Library and MCLS websites for more information.
In addition to a variety of eBook options including for school children, the Internet Archive has launched the National Emergency Library to support emergency remote teaching, research, scholarship, and intellectual stimulation.
The International Coalition of Library Consortia (ICOLC) has issued a statement on the pandemic’s impact on library services and resources, and compiled a list of over 50 publishers and other content providers’ complimentary expanded access. MCLS has another list of access updates for vendors we work with. ICOLC has also created a list of how information services providers are addressing the global crisis.
The Indiana State Library and the Library of Michigan each have pages on COVID-19 and libraries, and the Institute of Museum and Library Services has offered a webinar on how libraries can mitigate COVID-19 on physical materials (recording available soon). EveryLibrary also has a list of resources for the public about libraries and COVID-19.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and other federal agencies have created coronavirus.gov with current information for the public.
As so many are working from home perhaps for the first time, MCLS staff have created a list of tools for remote work that may be helpful. Following a capacity-crowd online discussion on Friday, March 27 about remote work, our Engagement, Consulting, and Training staff will be doing weekly online discussions via Zoom on a variety of topics on Fridays at 11am Eastern (10am Central; see email from mclsinfo@mcls.org with details).
To deal with stress that social distancing and other current strategies can bring, consider escaping with some free opportunities, or perhaps calming, mindfulness, and other meditation tools.
Please know that, as always, we at MCLS are here for you, and will continue responding to your needs as best we can. If there’s a way we can help get your questions answered, connect you with other libraries, or support you another way, please contact our staff, or me at garrisons@mcls.org or (800) 530-9019 ext 119. Stay well.
