Introducing the New MeL Engagement Specialists via @LibraryofMich

Liz Breed, MeL Coordinator, LM

We are excited to officially introduce the Michigan library community to the new Michigan eLibrary (MeL) Engagement Specialists who started their positions with the Midwest Collaborative for Library Services (MCLS) at the beginning of December.

These Engagement Specialist positions have been created to support you. Whether you need to connect a teacher in your school with quality content aligned to a lesson they’re teaching, or you want to provide your local community members with job resources, Theresa and Ann are here to support our library communities with

Please join us in welcoming Theresa and Ann!

Public Library Community Theresa Runyan is the MeL Engagement Specialist for Public Libraries. Her position is to support the public library community in using Michigan eLibrary resources. Her most recent experience has been with the Jackson District Library, where she served as a Branch Manager, Circulation Coordinator and Customer Service Specialist.  She has a background in management, training, end-user trouble shooting, and marketing.    “I’m looking forward to working with all of you in this new position and finding ways to use MeL to support you and your patrons.” Theresa Runyan runyant@mcls.org800-530-9019 x151 Set up a visit: https://mcls.org/melrequest

K-12 Community Ann Kaskinen is the MeL Engagement Specialist for K-12.  Her position is to support the K-12 community in using Michigan eLibrary resources. She worked as a K-12 Library-Media Specialist for nearly 16 years but her career started as a high school teacher in the English, social studies, and public speaking subjects.  She has also served as a consultant for Allegan Area Education Service Agency (AESA) and Traverse Bay Area Intermediate School District (ISD).  More recently, she completed an internship at the Kalamazoo Public Library and served as a teen librarian for Bay County Public Library in Panama City, Florida.    “As an advocate of MeL for most of my career, I am more than excited to assist school personnel with the navigation of the new eResources that can support K12 curriculum. I know it can be a challenge finding and utilizing new tools for instruction, but the new suite of EBSCO databases does not disappoint!” Ann Kaskinen kaskinena@mcls.org800-530-9019 x150 Set up a visit: https://mcls.org/melrequest This project was made possible in part by the Institute of Museum and Library Services.