Notes from Executive Director Scott Garrison
MCLS has spent 2024 changing and planning so we can empower libraries to achieve the extraordinary in 2025 and beyond. As we move from one busy year to another, read on for some changes this year and some of what we plan for the future.
I thank the many stakeholders who participated in our 2024 strategic planning process, including the MCLS Board of Directors. Our staff and management team are working now on initial priorities for how we foster Engagement and Collaboration, Invest in Innovation, and Strengthen and Support libraries all while ensuring Awareness and Accountability for our work. Special thanks to our Engagement, Consulting, and Training team for bringing the strategic planning expertise they practice with libraries to our own process this year.
NEWS
Please welcome our newest member library!
MCLS is pleased to welcome Karmanos Cancer Institute (MI) to our community. We are glad to have you!
Are you interested in becoming a member of MCLS? You can view our member benefits and access our online membership application here. Please email Gwen at membership@mcls.org with any questions or call her at 517-939-1388.
Knock, knock…who’s there? It’s MCLS!
At MCLS, we like to see and hear what our member libraries are doing and stay connected with what is happening in the community we serve. Meeting with our members in person on-site gives us the opportunity to see first hand the amazing work you're doing, listen to your insights, and fully understand the context surrounding the current library environment.
We value personal interaction, one-on-one conversations, and building relationships that create a safe space for members to ask questions, express concerns, and discover the latest MCLS services. Understanding your current library demands can help us better align our services with your real-world needs.
Interested in having MCLS visit your library? Schedule a time with us by emailing Jan at engagment@mcls.org.
Calling library staff from Indiana and Michigan – come connect in Virtual Dialogues
Our popular Virtual Dialogue series will be back in 2025! We’ll be bringing together specific groups of library staff from across our two-state region to give space and time for those with similar challenges and opportunities to meet for dialogue on topics of interest to them.
Our first Virtual Dialogue of 2025 will be on Thursday, Jan. 23, from 10:30 a.m. - noon Eastern (9:30-11 a.m. Central). Our topic will be announced, so mark your calendar now and watch the email lists and our website for more information.
MCLS Virtual Dialogues are not courses or webinars, but rather guided conversations with fellow library workers of different experience levels from all over Indiana and Michigan. They are a time to share your experiences and learn from each other. We hope to connect you with others who might be facing similar situations and can relate to your struggles and joys.
We hope to see many of you on Jan. 23!
Michigan library selects MCLS to provide consulting services
We are pleased to announce that Cass District Library (MI) has chosen MCLS to facilitate a staff day for them this December. We are grateful for the opportunity to help library staff in our region learn and grow and are grateful to our previous library clients for helping to spread the word about our consulting services.
Looking for library-specific consultants, presenters, or facilitators for strategic planning, staff development days, community engagement training, or more? MCLS can help! Visit our webpage to read more or contact us to request a quote. Questions? Email Jan at engagement@mcls.org.
ConsortiaManager Corner
MCLS requests renewal pricing using ConsortiaManager software. Part of that request includes the subscribing library’s FTE, service population, or bed count. Each year we ask libraries to update this information in Consortia Manager. Look for an email with instructions on this process. Accurate numbers make it possible for vendors to send list pricing along with renewal prices. These numbers help you compare what you would pay for a resource directly versus through MCLS.
If you have any questions, please contact us at services@mcls.org or 517-939-1382.
MASL announces 2024 MISelf in Books List
In October, attendees at the 51st annual Michigan Association of School Librarians (MASL) Conference gathered in Bay City for an energized, 3-day event featuring phenomenal keynote speakers, author breakfasts, a packed vendor show, a wide range of sessions, and most notably the much-anticipated announcement of the 2024 MISelf in Books List.
About 5 years ago, the dynamic selection committee was formed from a group of passionate, certified school librarians with the goal of creating an inclusive list of PreK through 12th grade fiction and nonfiction titles “that are based on books that they see learners reading and enjoying in their libraries.” The list includes books published in the last 2 years and offers PreK-1, 2-3, 4-5, 6-8, and 9-12 sections. To see all the lists created since 2020, visit http://www.mimasl.org/miself-in-books.html.
TRAINING
The new semester of training workshops is now available for registration! Visit the MCLS Store for the full winter/spring 2025 semester of cataloging, workplace skills, MeL and RIDES trainings, and more.
Sharpen your expertise with Essential Workplace Skills self-paced tutorials
If professional development is one of your New Year’s resolutions, MCLS is here to help! Our Essential Workplace Skills self-paced tutorials on Niche Academy are free for everybody at our member libraries. Members of our Engagement, Consulting, and Training Team will guide you through a range of topics that can help you succeed in your library.
Current courses include:
- Introduction to Accountability at Work
- Introduction to Critical Thinking Skills
- Introduction to Emotional Intelligence
- Introduction to Resilience in the Workplace
- Introduction to Thriving in the Midst of Change
- Introduction to Workplace Etiquette
- Introduction to Writing Skills for Librarians – NEW!
Registration is available now in our MCLS Store.
Essential Workplace Skills tutorials are eligible for LEUs and SCECH hours.
Want to show off your savvy? Staff who complete five tutorials in a three-year period can earn a Certificate of Library Development in Essential Workplace Skills. Find out more about MCLS’s certifications here.
Questions? Contact Gwen at training@mcls.org or 517-220-9950.
Congratulations to our newest Certificate of Library Staff Development recipients!
The following individuals have earned Certificates of Library Staff Development by attending online workshops through MCLS:
Basic Cataloging Certificate
Kayla M. Barnish, Chesterfield Township Library, MI
Sarah Anne Chilton, Lincoln Township Public Library, MI
A. Elizabeth Wilson-Cotey, Valparaiso University, IN
Advanced Cataloging Certificate
Tracy Dee Coburn, Richland Public Library, WA
Essential Workplace Skills Certificate
Pamela Schmidt, Westchester Public Library, IN
Amanda Michelle Kiefer, Leanna Hicks Public Library of Inkster, MI
Are you interested in obtaining your Certificate of Library Staff Development? Visit our website for requirements and more information. Essential Workplace Skills tutorials are free to MCLS members as a member benefit!
Questions? Contact Gwen at training@mcls.org or 517-220-9950.
Upcoming MCLS Workshops
- MARC: An Introduction, 3-day class, Jan 14,15,16 (online)
- Assigning Library of Congress Call Numbers: Basic, 3-day class, Jan 21,22,23 (online)
- Serials Cataloging, 3-day class, Jan 28,29,30 (online)
- Supervisor Series: Motivating Employees to be Their Best, Jan 30 (online)
- Assigning Library of Congress Call Numbers: Intermediate, 3-day class, Feb 11,12,13 (online)
- Object Cataloging for a Library of Things, 3-day class, Feb 25,26,27 (online)
- Supervisor Series: Learning to Manage for New Managers, Feb 26 (online)
MeL/MeLCat/RIDES Workshops
- MeLCat Processing, Policies, and Procedures, Jan 9 (online)
- RIDES: Packaging Best Practices, Jan 22 (online)
- Everything You Need to be Doing as a DCB MeLCat Library, Jan 23 (online)
- The MeLCat Overdue Process, Jan 27 (online)
- MeLCat Basics, Feb 6 (online)
- RIDES: What Happens at the Warehouse?, Feb 12 (online)
- MeLCat Reports, Feb 13 (online)
- MeLCat Cataloging, 3-day class, Feb 18,19,20 (online)
- MeLCat: The Other Stuff, Feb 19 (online)
- Color Our World: MeL eResources and Summer Reading 2025 (NEW!), Feb 20 (online)
The MeL project was made possible in part by the Institute of Museum and Library Services through the Library of Michigan.
SPECIAL OFFERS
The MCLS website has a full list of vendor partners and a searchable product list.
Manage your library's digital presence from a single platform with Communico
Communico is an integrated suite of cloud-based applications built specifically for libraries including solutions for event calendaring, room booking, appointments, mobile apps, digital signage and a website builder. The MCLS member discount is 15% off list price for modules and 20% off the implementation fee. Greater discounts are available for terms greater than 12 months.
For more information or to request a trial, reach out to MCLS eLicensing and Collection Resources at services@mcls.org or 517-939-1382.
VENDOR AND PRODUCT NEWS
Visit the eResources page of the MCLS website for a full list of vendor partners and a searchable product list.
Vendor Spotlight: OurResearch
OurResearch is a nonprofit that builds tools to help accelerate the transition to universal Open Science. Started at a hackathon in 2011, they remain committed to creating open, sustainable research infrastructure that solves real-world problems, like Unsub and OpenAlex. MCLS members who subscribe receive discounted pricing and support the mission of OurResearch.
OurResearch has offered a 4-month trial to any Unsub subscribing member to OpenAlex Premium, the newest product and the world's largest open scientific knowledge graph.
For more information or to request a trial, reach out to MCLS eLicensing and Collection Resources at services@mcls.org or 517-939-1382.
January Webinar: Clarivate shares updates on the Web of Science, Journal Citation Report, and more
Join MCLS and guest presenter Deron Morgan, Clarivate Customer Success Consultant, on Jan. 8, 2025, at 11 a.m. Eastern (10 a.m. Central) on Zoom for a virtual update session on the Web of Science and Journal Citation Report, plus product roadmaps.
You will learn about the following topics through demonstration:
- Author record enhancements including visualizations, citation impact data, awards, publication history, and more.
- Personalized homepage with recent searches, alert results, researcher metrics, and article recommendations.
- Macro and Micro Citation Topics: these schemas provide users with a granular and evolving category for improving search precision or for analyzing the scope of a topic.
- Grants Index: explore the details of previously awarded grants so you can better differentiate new projects and proposals. The Grants Index adds directly sourced, standardized data for 400+ funders around the globe to the platform, making it easy to review prior funding activity as you research your topic.
- Web of Science Research Assistant: a generative AI-powered tool that offers natural language, multilingual searching, task-based guided walkthroughs, and unique visualizations. Developed with and for researchers, it helps users at all levels get more out of the world’s most trusted citation database: the Web of Science Core Collection.
If you have any questions, reach out to MCLS eLicensing and Collection Resources at services@mcls.org or 517-939-1382.
RIDES notification about library closures
Please submit a RIDES Assistance form if your library will be closed on a scheduled day of service. Short closures should be reported no more than two weeks prior to closing. Extended closures of more than 30 days should be submitted at least two weeks prior to closing.
It is not necessary to report if your library is closed on a RIDES holiday; there will be no service on those days. Let us know as soon as possible, via the RIDES Assistance form, if your library will be closed due to weather on your scheduled day of service.
Upcoming RIDES holidays
Wednesday, Dec 25
Wednesday, Jan 1
