Michigan’s Secretary of State Office Announces New Partnership With Public Libraries Statewide
From the MI Secretary of State:
“Our libraries are the heart of their communities and there is no institution better at connecting people with the information they want and need,” said [Ruth] Johnson, [Michigan Secretary of State]. “I’m so honored by the opportunity to work with them to help connect their users with our online services at ExpressSOS.com.”
As part of the joint effort, called ExpressSOS CONNECT – Libraries, libraries across the state will be highlighted as points to access online Secretary of State services. The Secretary of State’s office will also send out regular news updates to libraries with information their users may need, ranging from election reminders to changes in election or driving laws, traffic safety tips and information about how to access Secretary of State services.
“We value the opportunity to work with the Secretary of State in facilitating this great partnership with libraries statewide,” said State Librarian Nancy Robertson. “Libraries are essential community hubs for so much in today’s busy world, including connectivity and online information resources. It makes sense to encourage Michigan residents to connect to ExpressSOS.com via their local libraries.”
At ExpressSOS.com, online users can renew their tabs, change their address, order copies of vehicle registration records and even sign up to be an organ donor on Michigan’s Organ Donor Registry.
Providing free Internet access has become a core service for local libraries. For those without home computers – about 20 percent of Michigan homes according to one federal study – libraries have proven to be a valuable local resource and tend to be more easily available to those without reliable transportation.
According to the Michigan Public Libraries Data Digest, Michiganians made 56 million visits to their local libraries last year. About 13 million people used public computers in Michigan libraries last year to do everything from search for a job to plan a vacation or shop.
Read the Complete Announcement
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Filed under: Data Files, Libraries, News, Patrons and Users, Public Libraries
About Gary Price
Gary Price (gprice@gmail.com) is a librarian, writer, consultant, and frequent conference speaker based in the Washington D.C. metro area. He earned his MLIS degree from Wayne State University in Detroit. Price has won several awards including the SLA Innovations in Technology Award and Alumnus of the Year from the Wayne St. University Library and Information Science Program. From 2006-2009 he was Director of Online Information Services at Ask.com. Gary is also the co-founder of infoDJ an innovation research consultancy supporting corporate product and business model teams with just-in-time fact and insight finding.
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