Connecting Michigan Libraries: The Importance of MeL, MeLCat, and RIDES

The Library of Michigan in Lansing, Michigan (photo courtesy of LoM)

Why are books written, collected, read, and re-read? Since the world’s first library, the Library of Ashurbanipal (Iraq, 600’s BC), humans have been collecting their thoughts and impressions into books, thereby helping each other achieve breakthrough insights, peak experiences, and unleashed imaginations.

Fast forward some 2,600 years and hundreds of millions of books later. Libraries are still important, still relevant, and still changing lives.

I wanted to write this article as a reminder to the good people of Michigan how good we have it in terms of easy access to great libraries.

Michigan eLibrary MeL

Thanks to the combined efforts of the Library of Michigan and the Midwest Collaborative for Library Services (MCLS) and a vast array of other partners, we have resources like MeL, MeLCat, and RIDES.

Serving over 10 million Michigan residents statewide is no easy feat. The basis of this network is a statewide interlibrary loan service. The Library of Michigan’s eLibrary (MeL) has two components: the eResources and MeLCat (the catalog), supported by the Regional Interlibrary Delivery Service (RIDES).

What this means is that your local library card is also an all-access pass to borrowing books for free from hundreds of participating libraries.

In this article, we’re going to hear from Randy Riley (State Librarian), Tara Kanon (MeLCat Support Specialist & Statewide Delivery Coordinator), and Scott Garrison (MCLS Executive Director). Each of these individuals occupies a pivotal role at a critical juncture in this constantly moving mandala of books.

Randy Riley

I’m sitting inside Randy’s office on the 5th floor of the Library of Michigan in Lansing. This five-story, 250,000-square foot building houses several treasures, including the Rare Book Room and State Archives.

Randy has been a librarian since 1989. He is THE Librarian for the entire state, and he has kindly taken time out of his exceedingly busy schedule to chat with me.

Randy Riley, State Librarian at the Library of Michigan in Lansing, Michigan (photo courtesy of LoM)

Let’s hear from Randy:

“I grew up in mid-Michigan, graduated Ionia High School, then University of Michigan. Started my career in education as a history-government teacher at the Valley School (Grand Blanc). After a few years, I transitioned into the library field, working in Special Collections (the genealogy and family history center), and became State Librarian in 2014. Fortunately, I’ve worked with some phenomenal people over the years and have had many great experiences.”

“As the main library for the State of Michigan, our development policy is we primarily collect the printed history of Michigan and build collections that serve our great state. Mostly donations, occasional acquisitions. We are also a central resource for the many topics of state government. And we oversee aid payments to libraries, along with training and consulting for librarians.”

“The Library of Michigan has three core units: Special Collections, Library Development, and Technical & Access Services. Special Collections are the books and other materials. Library Development is how we help other Michigan Libraries, and Technical & Access Services is the cataloging and processing side of the business.”

“The Michigan e-Library (MeL) is the premier program of the Library Development office. MeL contains over 80 e-resources and is a big part of what we do. MeLCat is the union catalog where you can request items.”

The Library of Michigan in Lansing, Michigan (photo courtesy of LoM)

“Around one million items circulate annually among 420+ libraries statewide. When I started, the famed $100 reference book was a big deal. MeL has helped level the playing field in terms of easy on-demand access.”

“The inception of MeL can be traced to the early 1990’s. There was the Go-M link at the University of Michigan, then it came to the Library of Michigan in the mid-90’s and took shape as an actual database in 1998 when Access Michigan was created. This morphed into MeL and in 2005, MeLCat was added thanks to our wonderful partnership with MCLS.”

“For the majority of libraries in Michigan, MeL is their main database content. You can also access it online right now from anywhere. MeL completes about 20-30 million data retrievals annually, meaning that specific information was successfully located for 94% of these requests.”

“MeL presents the user with high-quality information from subject matter experts. For example, some of the most popular of the 80 databases are: Opposing Viewpoints (Gale Cengage database used heavily by schools), NoveList Plus (book discussion group; guides to almost 30,000 books of fiction), and the A to Z database (general business info).”

“We receive $1.75 million dollars per year from the state to run MeL, along with $4.5 million dollars from IMLS grants, thanks to the LSTA Act.”

“The Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) is an independent agency in federal government and they help us with funding. When calculated for ROI, for every dollar spent, the general public gets $26 in return, which is significant. We also use some federal funds for sub-grants to libraries, meaning that a few dozen libraries can each receive up to $25,000 per year.”

“Overall, MeL is a tremendous resource featuring a wealth of options for anyone to explore. Libraries from Monroe to Escanaba use it heavily. MeLCat allows you to borrow from libraries that are 500 miles away!”

“Libraries are community centers, not just book warehouses. A healthy library has many facets, including being a place of refuge for everyone from kids to adults of any economic status.”

“In my 35 years as a librarian, I’ve witnessed constant unstoppable change, driven by technology. For example, generative AI is coming so fast, that librarians who embrace and understand it will have an advantage over those who balk at it and ignore it, hoping it’ll go away. There is a working group called State Libraries and AI Technologies (SLAAIT) figuring out how to best handle AI.”

“Books and getting them into people’s hands is still vitally important to society. Working in libraries, you see firsthand the transformational power of the written word. Libraries exist to provide opportunities to people and make their lives better and I’m thrilled every single day to be a part of this.”

Tara Kanon

Tara Kanon is the statewide delivery coordinator for RIDES. She has graciously allowed me a rare peek into the process. I’m walking through a cavernous warehouse with her and some staff from RIDES courier ProMed Delivery, Inc.

We are witnessing an amazing feat of logistics and boots-on-the-ground hard work from dedicated people ferrying shrink-wrapped pallets of books.

Tara Kanon, Rich Barlow, Heather Roggenbuck, Brian Saad, Michael Myzienski at RIDES hub warehouse in Detroit (photo by Ryan M. Place)

Let’s hear from Tara:

“The Regional Interlibrary Delivery Service (RIDES) is a statewide courier service for Michigan libraries. Some 300-400 couriers physically drive the books around the state to and from the various libraries. ProMed Delivery, Inc. provides delivery service to the Lower Peninsula, and they coordinate with another courier to provide delivery service in the Upper Peninsula.”

“There are six main regional warehouses statewide, and a transfer site for materials moving between the Lower Peninsula and the Upper Peninsula. The central Detroit hub is our largest. When someone requests a book or other item, it goes from the library to the closest warehouse hub where it gets sorted, sub-sorted, then routed to the requesters library via courier.”

RIDES hub warehouse worker Damon Davis in Detroit (photo by Ryan M. Place)

“Each library has its own 3-digit RIDES code identifier. Any library can choose to participate in the RIDES program. However, there is a small cost for libraries to join. Libraries can also choose to be a no-pack library (no packaging) if they want. We work with libraries of all sizes. Certain algorithms are in place to ensure request balancing, so that lending and borrowing doesn’t fall on any one library.”

“Materials are manually sorted by hub into green RIDES totes. There are three different sizes: large, medium, and very small. The max weight is 40 pounds per tote. An estimated 15,000 MeLCat materials move through the RIDES system daily. Audio visual material is double bubble wrapped.”

“MCLS manages the RIDES label maker. There are over 740 library names on the RIDES label maker. MCLS contracts with ProMed Delivery, Inc. to provide delivery. Many drivers themselves are independent contractors.”

Scott Garrison

Scott is the Executive Director of the Midwest Collaborative for Library Services (MCLS). He is kindly chatting on the phone with me.

Let’s hear from Scott:

“The Midwest Collaborative for Library Services (known as MCLS) operates in Michigan and Indiana.”

“MCLS exists to help support libraries. We promote collaboration, engagement, innovation, learning, and more for libraries. We work with a variety of other organizations across the library landscape by offering collective e-licensing, consulting, training programs, and much more.”

“We’re very proud of our strong relationship with the Library of Michigan, with whom we contract to support MeL for millions of citizens across Michigan. . Our staff take the trust that the Library of Michigan and hundreds of libraries across the state have placed in us very, very seriously, and we take pride in serving libraries the best we possibly can. The MeLCat and other servers we maintain are at an IT co-location facility in Lansing, and are currently undergoing significant upgrades to bring them more up to date. MCLS serves and supports libraries of all sizes and types, from smaller academic to larger academic, school, public, special (i.e., hospitals and law firms), and the state libraries in Indiana and Michigan.”

“MCLS created and administers RIDES, which enables over 400 libraries to move over 1 million items back and forth to the Upper Peninsula and all around the state on a constant basis. Since we have two peninsulas, each with its own courier, Michigan is one of the most complex, multi-type resource sharing environments for libraries in the entire country.”

Final Thoughts

Michigan library card

I hope looking through this small window into an enormously vast network and what it takes to run it, has increased your appreciation for not only your local library but for libraries in general.

Many thanks to Randy, Scott, and Tara for taking the time to help us understand and appreciate the intricacies of the Michigan library system.

If you are a Michigan resident and don’t have a membership card to your local library, make it a priority to go there this week and get one. Use the Michigan Library Directory to locate the nearest public library to you. If you are a Michigan library, make sure you look into joining MeLCat.

Fun Bonus:

Cool items from the Library of Michigan’s Griffiths Rare Book Room (4th floor)

Library of Michigan’s Griffiths Rare Book Room (photo courtesy of Googchives)

According to Adam Oster, Community Engagement Librarian at the Library of Michigan, here are some cool items:

“The oldest item is from 1490. It’s called “Statham’s abridgement of the law” and it’s a collection of English law translated into French.

When it comes to other unique items in the Rare collection, we have a fairly complete set of the “The Michigan Suffragist” newsletter of the Michigan Equal Suffrage Association. A great feature within most issues of the newsletter is the County Reports section where the work be performed for the suffrage movement within individual Michigan counties is highlighted, including where individual people are listed.

Statham’s Abridgement of the Law circa 1490 book @ Library of Michigan’s Griffiths Rare Book Room (photo courtesy of Googchives)

Some other interesting items, according to Matt Pacer, Reference Librarian at the Library of Michigan:

The American woods : exhibited by actual specimens and with copious explanatory text / by Romeyn B. Hough. Published in 1892. Most of the pages are cross sections of the varying woods of North America. You can see the color and grain.

Mapping my world : buildings + bridges / Laura Davidson. Published 2002. A pop-up book. One can think of it as more of an art piece with pop-ups of Michigan bridges and buildings.

Addresses of Abraham Lincoln. (miniature book). Published 1929. It is about 2cm. So, about the size of  the knuckle to top of thumb. A representative sample of a book that would have been purchased as a memento/keepsake. One needs at least a magnifying glass to read it.

Hough’s Woods book circa 1892 @ Library of Michigan’s Griffiths Rare Book Room (photo courtesy of Googchives)

As for acquisitions/donations, there are several reasons we would add a book to our rare collection. For the above three books, we want to ensure that many future generations of Michigan residents and researchers have access to these items. If you have other questions, please ask.

Make a Gift

www.Michigan.gov/LibraryGift

Temperature-controlled closed-stacks room which houses the rare book collection at Library of Michigan (photo by Library of Michigan)

Donate rare Michigan yearbooks to the Library of Michigan

“The Michigan Suffragist” newsletter of the Michigan Equal Suffrage Association, which is housed in the Rare Book Room at the Library of Michigan (photo courtesy of Library of Michigan)