What is the Connected Consortium?
The Connected Consortium is a way to get ebooks for a great price. Any librarian in New Jersey and Pennsylvania is able to join this consortium. The price is based on grade level. Elementary, Middle, and High School/Secondary. Each school pays a cost based on their grade level and student population. My new school has an enrollment of around 450. We paid $500 for the school year. So far we received over 300 titles and about ten of each copy. The ebooks are stored in Mackin's wonderful program MackinVIA, and students and teachers able to access. Your school administrators and technology department can work with Mackin to manage login for students and teachers. Those titles are then shared between my school and anyone else who is part of the consortium.
What is MackinVIA?
MackinVIA is a holding site for all of your digital resources, and so much more. MackinVIA is free! Any school can have an account, and you do not need to be part of an ebook consortium to have MackinVIA. Its very easy to create an account. Just go to mackinvia.com
It's pretty easy to figure out from there. If you need help, your Mackin customer service person will be there to help you. MackinVIA provides many free resources that you can add. If you have any databases you subscribe to these can also be added to your MackinVIA. Here is a slideshow I created to explain MackinVIA.
Can I Add the Ebooks to My Current Catalog?
Yes! Mackin makes this easy by providing the MARC Records any time they add books to the consortium. When students click on the book in Destiny or whatever circulation/catalog system you have, the computer will open up a new window for MackinVIA.
I would love to hear about your state and how you purchase ebooks. Do you have a consortium you are part of? Even if you are not able to be part of an ebook consortium such as this, please consider Mackin for your future library needs.
To receive more information about the Connected Library Consortium, please visit https://connectedlibraryco.wixsite.com/connected/home
* I received no payment through Mackin or anyone who is employed by them. I am just a very happy customer, and hope to pass this information on to anyone who is unaware of their amazing services.
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