MeL Minute

MeL Minute: “Imagine Your Story” – MeL’s eBooks Support Summer Reading Programs

It was over seven months ago, October 2019 that I scheduled this Summer Reading Program topic.  Little did I know at the time, that I’d have to reinvent the piece, and “imagine a different story.” 

The realities of COVID-19 impact libraries and how we offer services and programs.  We’re looking for new and interesting ways to reimagine our Summer Reading Programs while experiencing challenges unlike anything we’ve ever known.

MeL’s eResources have never been more relevant to libraries than they are today.  They offer innovative and creative solutions in our current “social distancing-world.”  MeL’s eBooks Collections provide unique support for Summer Reading Programs.  And, there’s never been a better time or a more captive audience, ripe for the message:

“we’re here for you, we want to help, and we’re free – use us!”

MeL’s eResources include eBook Collections for the following audiences:

• Academic, K-8 and High School students
• Public Library patrons
• Business readers

MeL’s eBooks Collections offer the following features:

• Available from all major academic publishers in virtually all disciplines

• Downloadable to mobile devices, including iPhones, iPads, Kindle Fires, and Android Devices
• Save, print, or email, links to books, chapters, or sections
• Immediately available
• Highly accessible for people with impaired vision
• Filter and browse by reading/Lexile level
• Fiction and nonfiction for all ages
• Popular kids and young adult (YA) titles, comics, and graphic novels such as Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Phoebe and her Unicorn, and Illustrated Classics
• Unlimited simultaneous use – great for reading assignments and book clubs
• Search within a book for specific words or phrases
• Link to books or book chapters for easy reference or social sharing with Permalinks
• Generate or export citations to bibliographic management tools
• Save books and notes to a personal folder
• Copy and paste portions of text for easy access during the research process

Best of all, eBooks used in conjunction with other eResources can help make programming a dream.  They contain tools and resources to create online programs, literally “at your fingertips.”  The following are just a few:

·        Britannica School: eBooks, images, videos, magazines, Web's Best Sites, Primary Sources & more

·        Explora for Public Libraries: Access thousands of eBooks including craft and cookbooks

·        Hobbies & Crafts Reference Center: Knitting and crochet patterns, cookbooks, and more

·        NoveList Plus: Book lists, including read-a-likes and listen-a-likes, and reading recommendations

·        NoveList Plus K-8: Book lists, including read-a-likes and  reading recommendations

·        PebbleGo: Activity sheets are available for every topic

·        World Book Kids: Hundreds of activities and science projects

New to using eBooks?  Check out  our video tutorial on MeL eBook Collections, or PDF documentation on eBook Learning, & eBooks FAQ’s. They will walk you through the ins and outs of accessing, reading, and downloading eBooks. 

If you have MeL eResource questions or issues, please don’t hesitate to contact meldatabaseshelp@mcls.org.

Brought to you by Ann Kaskinen of the MeL Team.

Supporting Michigan Libraries by Putting You First.

MeL eResources are available to Michigan residents or for Michigan library or school access only.

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