The top 10 most popular eResources in the past year reflect a range of needs from the library and education communities. World Book Kids was consistently the most heavily used eResource, except for when school was out for the summer. AtoZDatabases, one of MeL's newer eResources, has become a favorite and is also heavily used. With the re-addition of NoveList Plus in the past year, NoveList, ever popular, has become even more so now that users have the ability to look for reading recommendations for all ages.
Top 10 eResources Used in 2019
World Book Kids (PreK-5th grade)
AtoZ Databases* (Business & Resident Directory information)
NoveList Plus* (Reading recommendations)
NoveList Plus K-8 (Youth reading recommendations)
Academic Search Complete* (Comprehensive, multi-disciplinary scholarly research articles)
Gale in Context: Opposing Viewpoints (Different views on contemporary issues to help students develop critical thinking skills)
Britannica School Elementary (3rd – 4th grades)
Britannica School Middle (5th – 7th grades)
World Book Early Learning (PreK-3rd grade)
eBook Collection (all ages)
*New eResource in 2019
MeLCat
MeLCat continues to be tremendously popular with libraries and residents. Over 47.8 million items were available in the MeLCat catalog in 2019. Overall, the number of items loaned has steadily increased in the past 6 years. This year, over 1.1 million items were loaned out to residents all over the state.
Can you guess what the busiest month was for MeLCat in the past year? January! Historically, the largest number of loans placed during the year tend to fall in January and this past year has been no exception. In 2018, 105,718 items were loaned and in January 2019, 106,622 items were loaned.
The success of MeL would not be possible without LSTA funding from the Institute for Museum and Library Services, and all the countless library staff around the state who support MeL and make sure MeLCat continues to run so well. Thank you for all you do!