[Michlib-l] MAP Update: 95% And Much More

[Jim Flury]

All,

I am very glad to share with you the news that as of today, MAP checkouts for this year are now at 95% of last year's total. Great work, and I hope to be able to report when we all return to our places (with bright smiling faces, of course) on January 5 that we have reached or exceeded 100% of last year's total MAP checkouts, a bit more than seven months into the program. Let's make it happen!

We are still working on the proposed MAP expansion that we've noted, that would take MAP to the next level for 2015. As proposed this would increase the number of participating MAP venues from the current 100+, to over 300. Big, big stuff. Also, we are working closely with the director of one venue, and the marketing manager of another venue, both of which will be opening in 2015, to get them into MAP. We've had multiple, positive conversations with the two, and I can tell you that both will be extremely popular destinations with families. We will continue to do our best to get both of these venues into the MAP program in 2015.

Finally, we are pleased to be able to announce the addition of an enhancement to the MAP software, beginning with MAP Year 3 in May, 2015 that has not been available previously. This will not be a publicly visible enhancement, but librarians have been asking for this upgrade since the beginning of statewide MAP. Up until now we have been able to report the total number of checkouts, the percentages compared to the previous year (as per the subject line of this message), etc. But we've either not been able to report individual library checkouts for MAP or, as we've done for some TLN libraries, we've only been able to obtain and report checkouts by going through a very arduous process in order to obtain said stats. We are thus very happy to be able to report that beginning with MAP Year 3, we will be able to report individual library checkout stats for MAP! I don't yet know what format these reports will take, ie we may report same through cooperative directors, quarterly, or via some other method. Tbd, as they say.

Thank you for your promotion and support of the Michigan Activity Pass program.

Happy holidays to you and yours.

Sincerely,

Jim Flury

Jim Flury
Technical Services Manager
The Library Network
41365 Vincenti Court 
Novi, MI 48375
248-536-3100 x133 
Fax 248-536-3098 
jflury at tln.lib.mi.us