The right consultant at the right time at the right price. Whenever we look for outside advice or consultation, isn’t that what we always want? Whether it’s a strategic planning process, a staff in-service, or a meeting that needs outside facilitation, finding just the right person to do the work can be tricky. When MCLS …Read more »

Libraries Read: 1 Book Libraries Read: 1 Book is an annual “library community read” project focusing on professional development. Library staff from all types of libraries are encouraged to participate by voting on which book should be selected, then participate in the discussion, whether online or in-person. We will join together, across state lines and …Read more »

Have you ever needed a copy of a license for a group purchase in which you participate? How about a title list? Or VPAT? Are you trying to figure out what FTE we used to generate your latest quote from a vendor? Or who to call if your invoice doesn’t make sense? Group Purchasing has …Read more »

The Michigan Collaborating Partners (Michigan Cooperative Directors Association, Library of Michigan, Midwest Collaborative for Library Services, Michigan Library Association, and Michigan Academic Libraries Association) invite you to: Removing Barriers: A Library Accessibility Workshop Equality in access for every member of your community is a core library value and it can be challenging to satisfy all …Read more »

MCLS, in partnership with the Library of Michigan, is pleased to announce a Community Engagement Summit to be held in September 2018. Richard C. Harwood, President and Founder of The Harwood Institute for Public Innovation , will be the keynote presenter. The day will include other national leaders in community engagement, as well as a …Read more »

Registration is now OPEN! Reserve your space for the 5th Annual Great Lakes Resource Sharing Conference at the Hilton Garden Inn in Perrysburg, OH on June 7 & 8, 2018. Schedule in brief: Thursday, June 7, 2018 1 to 2:30pm or 3:30 to 5pm – Northwest Book Depository Tours 1 to 1:15pm – Welcome 1 …Read more »

Last month, I argued that the predictions and fears for artificial intelligence (AI) to have anything resembling real human intelligence are wildly over the top. AI today and into the future is highly unlikely “to understand the physical world well enough to make predictions about basic aspects of it – to observe one thing and …Read more »

In early 2017, MCLS Group Purchasing issued a call for Product Advisory Librarians (PALs). At the time, we had a vague idea that you, our members, could help us do a better job of determining potential new vendors or products, and we could, in turn, provide you a secure place to discuss those products and …Read more »

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE March 14, 2018 LANSING, March 14, 2018 – Midwest Collaborative for Library Services (MCLS) announced today that Randy Dykhuis, Executive Director, will retire from his position effective December 31, 2018. Dykhuis has been the Executive Director of MCLS since its creation in 2010. Prior to that, he served as the Executive Director …Read more »

ar•ti•fi•cial : humanly contrived often on a natural model : MAN-MADE in•tel•li•gence : the ability to learn or understand or to deal with new or trying situations; (2): the ability to apply knowledge to objective criteria When you think about artificial anything, what do you usually think about? Artificial sweetener with its slightly metallic taste …Read more »