Here is additional recent information on the Microsoft offerings that differ slightly from the 2020 blog post below. Licensing offers have changed.. https://blog.techsoup.org/posts/helping-public-libraries-navigate-microsofts... Also want to make note that our library system changed to the office 365 cloud based offerings and the limitations of the cloud based apps VS desktop had us move to a higher tier beyond the free offer. We still maintain gmail accounts for our outreach staff because of the number of schools who maintain a google environment and the ease of sharing documents through google. Also have to admit..there was a huge level of frustration with the Microsoft calendar environment VS the google calendar user experience. Hope this helps, Kelaine Mish Kent District Library

On Feb 1, 2022, at 3:45 PM, Nick Loomis via Michlib-l <michlib-l@mcls.org> wrote:

 Microsoft O365 A1 (which includes hosted exchange) is FREE to Public Libraries! Microsoft places public libraries in their academic pricing. The process to setup can be a bit frustrating but they may have improved upon that from mid 2020 when it first became available.

https://blog.techsoup.org/posts/office-2010-is-retiring-but-heres-how-your-library-can-get-free-office-365?utm_campaign=TechSoup%20for%20Libraries&utm_source=hs_email&utm_medium=email&utm_content=86248475&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-_5fb_fqAggu7XGUcaOM1EyH0zpcPzlcFuTdrtlA-esUaN0YL1HwQUcVaStMz8lNl8p0S91XSOp78_yU4JoimQNwfbokw

Nick Loomis Assistant Library/Information Technology Director Pere Marquette District Library Office: 989-386-7576 ext. 6 Cell: 989-289-8151 nloomis@pmdl.org http://www.pmdl.org

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From: Michlib-l <michlib-l-bounces@mcls.org> on behalf of Angela Semifero via Michlib-l <michlib-l@mcls.org> Reply-To: Angela Semifero <somedayangeline@gmail.com> Date: Tuesday, February 1, 2022 at 12:37 PM To: "michlib-l@mail2.mcls.org" <michlib-l@mail2.mcls.org> Subject: [Michlib-l] E-mail Hosting question

Hello Michigan Library Friends,

We have been working with Gmail/Google Workspace for free for more than a decade. (I know we have been lucky.) We were recently informed that things would be changing in May 2022 and we would be moved to one of Gmail's business plans. I have a couple of questions for your collective mind:

1. Do any of you have a contact for Google for government use who can answer some questions for us? Our Head of IT has not had much luck in asking questions through the main sales contacts.

2. What do you currently use for email hosting? Does it include anything that allows for collaborative documents and calendars like G-suite?

We are still considering Google with new pricing but we are curious about what other libraries are using.

Please reply off-list to semiferoa@yourmdl.org.

Thank you all!

Sincerely, Angela

-- Angela Semifero Library Director Marshall District Library 124 W. Green St. Marshall, MI 49068 (269)781-7821x1100 semiferoa@yourmdl.org _______________________________________________ Michlib-l mailing list Michlib-l@mcls.org https://mail3.mcls.org/mailman/listinfo/michlib-l