Michigan eLibrary A Huge And Growing Resource

If you're a Michigan resident and you're considering paying for content online, be sure to check first what you're already paying for.

Yep, your tax dollars already support the Michigan eLibrary, an absolutely astounding resource for every Michigan citizen.

The news staff at WWJ Newsradio 950 got a nice walk-through of the site's amazing capabilities in a recent meeting with Deb Biggs Thomas, Michigan eLibrary coordinator for the Library of Michigan.

First, for Michigan residents only, the site offers MeL magazines, newspapers, e-books, practice tests for students and more. Included is more than $4 million worth of electronic resources to more than 45 commercial subscription databases purchased by the Library of Michigan -- millions of articles from thousands of indexed magazines and newspapers, many in full text, and resources like academic and career-prep practice tests, business and company information, geneaology resources, consumer health information and more.

A Michigan driver's license number or state ID is required to get accesss.

Also for Michigan residents who have a valid library card from a participating library is Michigan MeLCat, an interlibrary loan service on steroids, offering nearly 26 million books, CDs and movies from participating libraries. Just go online, make your selection, and the resource will show up at your local library, usually in two to four days. More than 250 Michigan libraries are participating.

My favorite part of the site as a Michigan history buff was MeL Michigana, a growing collection of statewide historical resources, including manuscripts, photographs, audio files, diaries, local records, some extremely cook panoramic maps and more. Included is tons of information on Michigan's early years and how it was affected by the logging boom, the Civil War and the auto boom.

For teachers, there's also MORE, Michigan Online Resources for Educators, a growing collection of lesson plans, interactive Web sites, curriculum resources and much more.

Overall the site is the proverbial wealth of information on everything from how to start a small business in Michigan to finding your family's history to the latest in health care treatment to homework help to a job search.

The main Michigan eLibrary site is www.mel.org. To find out if your library is a participant in MeLCat, visit http://elibrary.mel.org/screens/participating.htm.