On Wednesday, the Library of Michigan and Department of History, Arts and Libraries (HAL) announced the Michigan eLibrary (MeL) is open for business with a brand new look, more user-friendly search and retrieval features, and a stable of information resources, all geared to provide Michigan residents with access to a comprehensive collection of information.

The revamped site was publicly unveiled at a celebration launch at the Library of Michigan in downtown Lansing. In addition to HAL Director Dr. William Anderson and Acting State Librarian Nancy Robertson, participants included Judith Rapanos of the Institute of Museum and Library Services (the federal body that administers Library Services and Technology Act funds), Randy Dykhuis of the Michigan Library Consortium, and representatives from partner organizations Innovative Interfaces (Emeryville, Calif.), OCLC (Dublin, Ohio), ProQuest (Ann Arbor, Mich.) and Thomson Gale (Farmington Hills, Mich.).

First unveiled to the public with 24-hour remote access in the summer of 2002, the Michigan eLibrary now boasts a cleaner, more intuitive gateway page, the ability to search for information across a variety of quality resources, and a new and steadily growing catalog (MeLCat) of the collections held by more than 50 Michigan libraries. With this "one-stop shopping" approach, MeL extends the reach of libraries and residents from Monroe to Marquette.

"No single library has the resources available to meet all customer needs," said Acting State Librarian Nancy Robertson. "The Michigan eLibrary's new integrated collection means that every library and Michigan resident now can see virtually into any part of MeL to find exactly the information they need, no matter where in Michigan it may be. MeL effectively makes time and distance irrelevant in the customer's search for top-notch information."

Dykhuis of the Michigan Library Consortium said a key advantage Michigan users will see when conducting a MeL search vs. a traditional Internet search is the fact that many of the resources within MeL are simply not available as part of a regular Internet search. The Library of Michigan has purchased exclusive-access rights for Michigan residents to MeL electronic databases, providing a broader search that returns "hits" within subscription-only resources like full-text magazine, newspaper and journal articles, e-books, and academic and career-prep practice tests.

The new MeLCat component allows registered customers at participating libraries to search for, locate and request materials from libraries around the state and have them delivered to their local library, usually within two business days. MeLCat currently includes the holdings of more than 50 libraries, with new libraries adding their collections several times per year. While other states nationwide offer similar services, Michigan is one of the first to unite the collections of all types of libraries (small rural to large academic) in one statewide catalog.

Funding for MeL is provided in part by the state of Michigan through the Library of Michigan. Additional project support comes from the federal Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) via the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS).

The Library of Michigan is part of the Department of History, Arts and Libraries.