June 2024 eNewsletter (2024)

Contents:Executive Director |News|Training|Special Offers|Vendor and Product News| RIDES

NOTES FROM EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR SCOTT GARRISON

Continuing from my May MCLS newsletter piece on artificial intelligence (AI), this month I’ll recap Western Michigan University (WMU) Libraries Associate Dean Mary O’Kelly’s excellent presentation on using AI tools for research and writing at the recent Michigan Academic Library Association (MiALA) conference. Many facets of AI and how various industries are using AI tools show up in the news on a daily basis, and O’Kelly noted that current AI tools are affecting every aspect of education. In an interactive presentation that included poll questions she asked the audience via Mentimeter (which itself can group responses using AI), O’Kelly focused on three complementary AI tools that, used together, can search, analyze, and draft research articles:

Call for nominations to serve on the MCLS Board of Directors

The MCLS Board of Directors Nominating Committee seeks nominations from the MCLS membership for the following Board openings for 2025-2027:

• At-Large Library Representative (Indiana)
• School Library Representative (Indiana)
• Research Library (Indiana)

Each seat has a three-year term, beginning Jan. 1, 2025, and expiring Dec. 31, 2027. The Board meets four times per year, in February (Zoom), May, August, and November (each in person), and Board meetings alternate between Indiana and Michigan. The November meeting includes a Board orientation and a two-day strategy retreat to review activity of the previous year, assess trends, and determine strategic changes to MCLS’s services and offerings. Newly-elected Board members are asked to attend this year’s annual retreat in November. MCLS reimburses Board members for all direct meeting expenses.

The MCLS Board uses the Policy Governance Model developed by John and Miriam Carver. New Board members will receive an orientation to Policy Governance the day prior to the Board retreat.

MCLS’s members are also its owners. The Board represents your interests as owners. Through the nominating process, you have the opportunity to put forth the names of those who will define our Ends and Limits, both of which guide MCLS staff as they consider the products, programs, and services MCLS offers. To assist you in nominating candidates, read Section 3 of the Board Policy Manual for an overview of the Board’s work and responsibilities. Under MCLS’s Bylaws Section 4.03, only designated Member Representatives or Alternates from MCLS member institutions are eligible to serve on the Board.

The slate of candidates will be chosen from the nominations, voted on by the current Board of Directors in August, and presented to the membership for election in early September.

If you are interested in serving on the Board of Directors or wish to submit the name of a nominee, please complete this form. The deadline for submitting names is 5 p.m. Eastern (4 p.m. Central) on Friday, July 5, 2024. If you prefer to mail your nomination, please send it to: MCLS Nominating Committee, 1407 Rensen Street, Lansing, MI 48910-3657.

We are offering NO COST* TALK texts to NEW subscribing libraries nationwide

IMLS TALK grant funds will cover the cost of text messages for new subscribing libraries anywhere in the U.S. To receive this offer, your library must subscribe to TALK: Text and Learn for Kindergarten, a service of MCLS, no later than 5 p.m. on Wednesday, July 10, 2024.

Grant-funded texts are distributed in blocks of 5,000 messages. The number of blocks you receive is based on the size of your service population. Please fill out this no-obligation quote request for details. If you wouldlike a demonstration of TALK, email talkhelp@mcls.org.

*Please note this offer applies to new TALK subscribers and is not valid for currently subscribed libraries that have already received IMLS-funded messages.

Welcome, new MCLS member libraries!

Benton Harbor Charter School, MI
Indiana University South Bend, IN
Millington Arbela District Library, MI
Waldron District Library, MI
Waterloo Grant Township Public Library, IN

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.

Register today for the June 13 MCLS Agreements Group meeting

The next meeting of the MCLS Agreements Group will be on Thursday, June 13, 2-3 p.m. Eastern (1-2 p.m. Central). Participants will review and discuss the MCLS generic license agreement. Open to all library types, the Agreements Group exists to help MCLS identify license agreement components of interest and concern to MCLS members.

Interested librarians are encouraged to sign up for the MCLS License Agreements Committee email list to stay-up-to date. 

MCLS members: watch your inbox

MCLS will be sending out a membership renewal email reminder to most key library contacts (directors, billing contacts, and primary contacts) in early June. This email offers an opportunity to respond with any changes to your membership and to provide updated contact information ahead of ourJuly 1 renewal date. Invoices will be generated and emailed to your billing contact in mid-June.

Thank you so much for being an MCLS member! If your library has had a recent change in director or billing contact, please contact Gwen atmembership@mcls.orgor 517-939-1388.

ConsortiaManager Corner

It’s June and that means it’s July renewal season. The official deadline to complete July renewals in ConsortiaManger is June 5 for most subscriptions. Remember you can defer billing until after the subscription begins. This is done by choosing a billing option before you place the order: invoice immediately or hold invoice. Click on 'Empty' to select your billing option then the blue check mark to confirm. Instructions on the process are in the shopping basket. 

If you do not renew or cancel your subscription by the June 5 deadline, the system will send you an automated message. Reach out to services@mcls.orgor 517-939-1382 with any questions.

Members in both states select MCLS to provide consulting services

We are pleased to announce that Thorntown Public Library in Thorntown, IN, Maud Preston Palenske Memorial Library in St. Joseph, MI, and Michigan Academic Library Association (MiALA) have all selected Midwest Collaborative for Library Services (MCLS) to provide consulting services for strategic planning this summer and fall. We are looking forward to spending time with the staff, communities, and membership of these libraries and organizations and helping to facilitate this important work!

Is your library looking for library-specific consultants, presenters, or facilitators? MCLS can help! Visit our webpage to read more or contact us to request a quote.

Academic library staff invited to July Virtual Dialogue

Join the MCLS Engagement, Consulting, and Training team for a Virtual Dialogue for academic library staff on Wednesday, July 17 from 10:30 a.m.-noon Eastern (9:30-11 a.m. Central). We invite those working in academic libraries - at all levels and in all positions - to come together to talk and share your strategies, insights, and experiences with each other.

MCLS Virtual Dialogues are not courses or webinars, but are FREE, guided conversations that allow you to connect with other people who can relate to you. This year, our dialogues are geared toward specific library groups to maximize relevant support and building community. Please plan to have your microphone enabled and camera on to participate.

Learn more on our website. If you have any questions, please reach out to us at engagement@mcls.org. We look forward to connecting with you!

Accounting software changes are coming

MCLS is dedicated to ensuring all accounting and payment interactions you have with us are secure and processed with care. To that end, we have been hard at work implementing a new accounting software system and payment portal. Billing contacts, watch your inboxes for further details in July!

New semester of training workshops is now available!Visit the MCLS Store for the full summer/fall 2024 semester of training workshops and to see all workshops currently open for registration!

Questions? Contact Gwen attraining@mcls.orgor 517-220-9950.

The MeL project was made possible in part by the Institute of Museum and Library Services through the Library of Michigan.

The MCLS website has a full list of vendor partners and a searchable product list.

Join the University of Michigan Press Fund to Mission initiative

Since Fall 2020, the University of Michigan Press (UMP) has collaborated with its parent library and library consortia LYRASIS to implement the Fund to Mission open access monograph model. This program facilitates the conversion of an increasing percentage of the Press’s frontlist (currently 75% of the 80 monographs UMP publishes annually) to open access without requiring inequitable author payments. MCLS libraries are invited to join the UMP Fund to Mission initiative. Through the consortium program, libraries receive access to frontlist titles at a discounted rate and support the Fund to Mission effort of the University of Michigan Press.  

UMP focuses on the humanities and social sciences with strengths in areas like political science, music and sound studies, performance, and more. Part of their commitment to Open Access involves working with scholars to empower them to explore the growing interest in open access. With Fund to Mission, authors do not pay a Book Processing Charge (BPC) as the Fund covers publishing costs.

For more information about the project, contact MCLS eLicensing and Collection Resources at services@mcls.orgor 517-939-1382.

Save the date for a Sage Skills discussion

MCLS members are invited to join Sage and MCLS for a Sage Skills discussion at 2 p.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 21. We will discuss essential skills to prepare learners for academic achievement and personal development, and the classroom-to-career skills most vital to the modern workplace. Additional topic areas include the impact of bias and inequity and being a driver of positive change, academic integrity and AI, challenging critical thinking skills in real-life business situations, nurturing personal skills in resilience, self-care, time management and financial literacy, and upskilling essentials to support undergraduate coursework success.

Check the July newsletter for a registration link. Sage will also be offering MCLS substantial discounts (up to 25%) based on the number of subscriptions purchased.

We encourage you to visit ourSage Skills sharing site created for MCLS members. Sage also provided the following reading lists focused on Student Success:

• First Generation Students
• Pathways Transfer Students
• First Year Experience Support
• Using AI Responsibly

If you have any questions, contact MCLS eLicensing and Collection Resorces at services@mcls.org or 517-939-1382.

MCLS members get 35% off on new Infobase eBook collections

• American Multicultural Experience (52 titles)
• Hispanic-American Heritage Collection (44 titles)
• Job Search and Soft Skills Collection (40 titles)
• Mental Health and Substance Abuse Collection (65 titles)
• Shakespeare’s World Collection (52 titles)
• World Faith Traditions Collection (40 titles)

Explore these resources by requesting a trial. Contact MCLS eLicensing and Collection Resources at services@mcls.org or 517-939-1382 for title lists, trial credentials, and pricing quotes.

Visit the eResources page of the MCLS website for a full list ofvendor partnersand a searchableproduct list.

Join Skilltype’s professional development tools webinar on June 11

Learn how Skilltype helps libraries advance employee professional development by attending the Tuesday, June 11 webinar from 2-3 p.m. Eastern (1-2 p.m. Central). Skilltype is a library-specific professional development tool that allows library administration to strategically assess employee skills and professional development needs by identifying strengths, gaps, and providing information on various professional development opportunities available through a variety of established services and organizations. Find out more about this unique resource at the upcoming webinar led by Skilltype staff.

Discounted pricing on Skilltype is available to MCLS members. Contactservices@mcls.orgor 517-939-1382 for more information and a quote.

MCLS-brokered deal with OverDrive welcomes Indiana academic libraries to OMiA

Overdrive for Michigan Academics (OMiA) was born in 2021 when a group of four Michigan academic libraries decided to make a shared collection of eBooks and Audio books a reality. Today, OMiA consists of 10 libraries: 7 community colleges, 2 universities, and one private institution. As a collaborative endeavor, the key to OMiA’s success is the involvement of librarians from participating institutions who work together to select and purchase materials that are available to users at all institutions.

Until now, a cross-state OverDrive consortium was not possible; however, discussions between MCLS and Overdrive have resulted in the ability to open OMiA to Indiana academics! MCLS is elated about this opportunity to welcome its Indiana academic membership to the OverDrive collaboration. This new group will require some rebranding, which MCLS will facilitate and support.

If you are in an Indiana or Michigan academic library and are interested in learning more, please watch the recording of a recent presentation to MCLS members on Overdrive for Academics. Additionally, Overdrive will hold a live Consortium Connect webinar on Wednesday, June 11 from 11 a.m.-Noon Eastern (10-11 a.m. Central). 

Please contact services@mcls.org or 517-939-1382 if you have any questions. 

Get the MCLS discount codes list

MCLS is pleased to offer members special discount codes for travel accommodations as well as consumable and durable library goods. Please email services@mcls.org for an updated list and details regarding discount codes we offer from Brodart, DEMCO, Gaylord, HotelPlanner, Kapco, and The Library Store.

We need your extra totes!

We need all of the green RIDES totes circulating in the system at all times to prevent a shortage of totes. If you have extra RIDES totes for the courier to pick up, please let us know via theRIDES Assistance Form.

Please do not store packaging materials, decorations, program supplies, donated books, etc. in green RIDES totes.