All, For those who would like to add MARC records for the MAP program to their ils, TLN has created a file of same. As they are in MARC format the records in the attached file will download into any ils. Please see attached. I am very pleased to report that unlike the Mud Hens relief pitching of Saturday night, which melted down quite badly (perhaps the young pitchers aren't acclimated to the new pitch clock yet? AAA level baseball is experimenting with a pitch clock this year, in an effort to quicken the pace of the game) the official launch of MAP on Sunday, May 24 went off without a hitch, and took off like a rocket! We've had passes reserved at libraries from Monroe County Library System in the far south, to Ontonogan Township Library in the far north. The online MAP state park, state recreation area, state forest campground, and state historic site passes, which were formerly available as printed passes through the Park and Read program and are exclusive to online MAP now, have proven to be especially popular. Do kids still skip high school on the warm days so as to be able to hang out at the state parks and state recreation areas, as my friends and I so used to enjoy doing??? Today they can do it in style, and gratis, with a MAP pass. Please remember that with MAP, there are no physical passes. The (previously) physical passes and checkout cards from the former Park and Read program are all part of online MAP now. Patrons print their own passes to more than 370 destinations, including 230+ state parks, state recreation areas, state forest campgrounds, and state historic sites, from the MAP website http://michiganactivitypass.info For your patrons, this means convenience, in that they can print their passes either at the library, or at home. It also means convenience for you, as we've heard that in previous years the huge popularity of the Park and Read passes caused said passes to grow legs and, armed with new legs, sneak their way out of the library. No more! Also, MAP is a year round program. This means that patrons will have 12 month MAP access to those state parks that are open outside the traditional May through September/October season. Finally, with each library having five MAP passes per seven day period per venue, including for the state parks, to make available to their patrons, you probably won't have to worry about running out of passes. And even if you do, one of the really nice things about MAP is that there are so many destinations available, particularly with the addition of the 230+ DNR sites, that if you do happen to bump up against your library's five passes per cultural venue per seven day period limit, you can suggest an alternative venue for your patron. There truly is something for everyone, both indoor and outdoor alike, in MAP. Don't forget to "Like" the MAP Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/pages/Michigan-Activity-Pass-MAP/510259192344845 Need MAP swag? Print the brochure, bookmarks and posters at http://tln.lib.mi.us/map/ The MAP logo is also available there, to include on your library's homepage with the http://michiganactivitypass.info/ url embedded in it. Know of additional potential cultural partners for MAP in your community? We want to talk to them! Send them to me. Or "recruit" them yourselves. Many of you have already done so, for which we are very appreciative. As always, thank you for your support and promotion of the (now all online, including the state park passes) Michigan Activity Pass program. 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@tln.lib.mi.us