MLA’s “Primary Source” is an exclusive, first-hand account of the latest news and announcements from the staff of the Michigan Library Association.
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Each June, Pride Month is a time for the LGBTQ+ community to honor their identity, uniqueness, and diversity. For countless years, libraries throughout the state and nation have brought focus to this national celebration. This year is no exception.
But this year, public library displays celebrating Pride Month seem to be getting a lot of negative attention. Displays are part of a library’s marketing plan and they highlight a very small portion of the extensive collection that might go undiscovered. A display is a wonderful way to help readers young and old find and connect to topics, books, and materials they find personally relevant to themselves or loved ones. And displays during Pride Month are not set up to politicize one lifestyle over another – the library is simply displaying age-appropriate materials that are related to the LGBTQ+ experience.
Of utmost importance to any public library is curating collections that allow every citizen to see themselves and the world around them in the diversity of books and resources their library provides for all ages, all abilities, all interests, all races, all nationalities, all religions, the rich, the poor, traditional and nontraditional families, those who identify as LGBTQ+ and those that don’t. This is a core tenant of librarianship – to provide for the interests of all, and to do so without bias. For countless individuals who identify as LGBTQ+ and who face bullying, isolation, and depression, access to LGBTQ+ representation and information in books from the library offers them a safe haven and in some cases it is lifesaving. It is critically important that everyone has access to books where they can see themselves, validate their existence and experiences, and reinforce their self-worth. Many of us cannot begin to imagine how important that might be for a teen who identifies as LGBTQ+ but has yet to find the voice they need to tell their story. Read more
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Proposed Updates to MLA Bylaws |
The MLA Board has reviewed and voted on extensive amendments to the MLA bylaws and is sending them to the membership to approve them in totality. Eligible members will vote online to adopt or reject the proposed changes in full. The summary document below has included all of the amendments – text to be deleted is shown with a cross out, and new text to be inserted or substituted is bolded. If approved by the membership, the bylaws will go into effect on July 1, 2023.
The online poll will be available through Monday, June 26 at 5:00 PM. All members eligible to vote based on the current bylaws (Organizational Members, Affiliated and Unaffiliated Individual Members, Unaffiliated Library Directors, Affiliated and Unaffiliated Trustee Members, Retirees, Lifetime Members, and Students) received these voting instructions via email.
Please review the following information before casting your vote:
Cast your vote by logging in to the MLA website and taking the online poll by Monday, June 26 at 5:00 PM.
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Michigan Library Awards Call for Nominations |
Do you know an awesome library professional or library supporter who deserves recognition for their work in Michigan libraries? The Call for Nominations for the 2023 Michigan Library Awards is open through Friday, July 14!
We encourage and welcome your nomination for any of MLA's Awards for recognition at the 2023 Michigan Library Awards on Wednesday, October 18 in Kalamazoo during the MLA 2023 Annual Conference.
Help us celebrate and encourage our Michigan library community by recognizing excellence and giving credit where credit is due. We've made it simpler than ever to submit a nomination for MLA's Awards, and you can even select to have your nomination kept on file for consideration in 2024 as well.
Check out the complete details and criteria for MLA Awards by downloading the guidelines linked below and submit a nomination (self-nominations are also strongly encouraged) for the 2023 Michigan Library Awards today!
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Save the Date! 2023 Michigan Library Awards |
The Michigan Library Awards is the can't-miss event for recognizing Michigan's amazing library professionals and libraries. It’s the Michigan library community's own version of the Academy Awards, the Emmys, the Grammys, and the Tonys!
On Wednesday, October 18 in Kalamazoo, we will have an evening of celebration, including dinner and an awards show featuring entertainment and special guests. Save the date and plan to don your best business dressy attire (ball gowns and tuxedos are NOT required), strut the red carpet for a photo op, and join us for dinner and a show as we celebrate the accomplishments, dedication and service of outstanding libraries, library staff, trustees and supporters.
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Movement on the MLA Board |
On Friday, June 8, the current MLA Board met for the June meeting and were joined by our newly elected Board members Michele Howard, Traverse Area District Library, Mary Higginbottom Johnson, Muskegon Area District Library, and Shaunna Martz, Kent District Library, for training and orientation. We had the honor of hosting Thomas Fladung from Hennes Communications for this year's training session. Thomas shared tips and techniques on the best use of social media, speaking with the press and crisis communication planning in the wake of censorship and book-banning efforts.
Thank you to Jessica Keyser, Director, Grosse Pointe Public Library, and Kate Van Auken, Director, White Pine Library Cooperative whose Member-at-Large Director terms are expiring at the end of June. Thank you both for your leadership, kindness, and wisdom and for giving generously of your time and expertise to help move MLA forward.
Please feel free to reach out to our past and current Board members to send a note of gratitude for the amazing work they contribute to the library community. If you are considering Board service, we welcome your involvement. Watch for the call for nominations this fall.
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Kate Van Auken
White Pine Library Cooperative
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Jessica Keyser
Grosse Pointe Public Library
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Thank you to MLA's Ambassadors! |
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MLA Ambassadors: watch your email! You will receive workgroup and committee elist welcome messages and invitations to your group's Google Drive in the coming weeks! |
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MLA is lucky to have so many dedicated professionals step up to serve on our workgroups and committees and be ambassadors of the association. They show commitment to their communities, their libraries, their patrons, the library profession, and the Michigan Library Association every day.
Ambassadors: if you have not done so already, please remember to sign the Code of Conduct form online. You will need your individual login credentials to sign the form: Sign the Code of Conduct.
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2023 MLA Equity Fund Grant Recipient |
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MLA Equity Fund Grants aim to reduce financial barriers to professional development opportunities and support individuals currently underrepresented in the library profession |
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It is our pleasure to announce the recipient of MLA's 2023 Equity Fund Grant! We are pleased to announce Amelia Chea, Adult Services Librarian at the Hackley Public Library in Muskegon has been awarded grant funding.
Congratulations to Amelia for submitting an exceptional individual proposal and being granted funding to attend the Library Learning Experience Conference, LibLearnX hosted by the American Library Association. We are proud to support Amelia's professional development endeavors.
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Congratulations to MLA Program and Event Director Amber Sheerin! |
We are so proud of the accomplishments of MLA Program and Event Director Amber Sheerin! Earlier this month, she was awarded the "Innovative Planner of the Year" award from the Meeting Professionals International, Michigan Chapter. MLA President Scott Duimstra presented her with flowers at the June MLA Board meeting in recognition of her outstanding achievements in serving the members of MLA. |
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MLA 2023 Youth Literary Awards |
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On Friday, June 16 we announced the winners and honor books of the 2023 MLA Youth Literary Awards! MLA's Mitten, YouPer (Young Person) and Thumbs Up! Award workgroups have worked for thousands of hours throughout the year, reading reviewing, discussing and evaluating hundreds of books to find the very best books for Michigan youth that were published in 2022.
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Sometimes I Grumblesquinch
Rachel Vail, Hyewon Yum (Illustrator)
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Three Strike Summer
Skyler Schrempp
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I Must Betray You
Ruta Sepetys
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Humans of Michigan Libraries |
We want to feature YOU on social media! Check out MLA's popular Humans of Michigan Libraries series on Facebook and help us put a human face on the library profession. It's easy to participate if you want to be featured! The project is inspired by Humans of New York. In our series, we are highlighting stories of librarianship all over Michigan on MLA social media accounts using the hashtag #HumansofMILibraries. With these short interviews and photos, we hope to showcase a more personal side of Michigan libraries.
It’s easy to participate and we would love to feature you!
Please answer any question(s) or prompt(s) below in about ~100-150 words and grab a photo or two of yourself in your library. Then just email us your answer and photo. The photos and full answers will be posted to the MLA Instagram and Facebook accounts along with your first and last name and the name of your library. Your library will also be tagged on social media.
Question/prompt:
- Describe a specific moment when a library patron has made an impact on you.
- Describe an event in your life that made you want to pursue librarianship.
- What has been your proudest moment with the library?
- Is there anything you hope to see change in libraries, why is it important to you?
Photo notes:
- This is a great chance to show off your library spaces as well!
- Make sure your photo is clear and well-lit.
- No photo editing or filters, please.
- Please do not send professional photos that need photo credit or permission to use.
To participate, send the question or questions you are answering along with your answer(s), your name as you would like it to appear in the post, the pronouns you would like us to use in the post, and your library's name to Rachel Ash, MLA Membership and Communications Director, at rfash@milibraries.org.
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The MLA virtual office will be closed in observance of Independence Day on Tuesday, July 4, 2023. |
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Check out MLA's Bill Tracker to view a full list of legislation that the Advocacy and Legislative Committee is watching.
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MLA Connect Advocacy Hour: Updates From the ALA Office for Intellectual Freedom |
MLA's June Advocacy Hour featured Deborah Caldwell-Stone, Director of the American Library Association’s Office for Intellectual Freedom (OIF) and Executive Director of The Freedom to Read Foundation.
Please note, this conversation is for informational purposes only and should not be considered legal advice.
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Partner with National Voter Registration Day 2023
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MLA has signed on to partner with National Voter Registration Day 2023 and we encourage libraries to join us! First observed in 2012, National Voter Registration Day is a nonpartisan civic holiday celebrated every September. This year, National Voter Registration Day is September 19, 2023.
According to U.S. Census data from 2020, as many as 1 in 4 eligible Americans are not registered to vote. Every year, millions of Americans find themselves unable to vote because they miss a registration deadline, don’t update their registration, or aren’t sure how to register. National Voter Registration Day wants to make sure everyone has the opportunity to vote.
The day involves volunteers and organizations from all over the country hitting the streets in a single day of coordinated field, technology and media efforts. National Voter Registration Day seeks to create broad awareness of voter registration opportunities to reach tens of thousands of voters who may not register otherwise.
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Intellectual Freedom Resources |
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MI Right to Read is an MLA initiative coordinated through the leadership of the Intellectual Freedom Task Force to protect the right to read in Michigan. Visit MIRighttoRead.com today to join the coalition and take the pledge to protect every Michigander's right to read.
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Recently, we have seen escalations in the tactics of book ban proponents in Michigan. Keep an eye out for the following in your community:
In Lapeer County, a prosecutor was reported to be considering bringing charges against the director of the public library for keeping the frequently-targeted book Gender Queer available to the public. U.S. publishers are not producing obscene books, and providing access to a book in the library is not a crime. As discussed in the linked news article, attempting to force a library to censor books with legal threats may even backfire as removing books from a public library based on viewpoint may leave the library open to a First Amendment violation lawsuit.
Some have tried to create new laws at the local level to restrict library collections. An ordinance was under consideration by the Cass County Council requiring libraries to certify that their collection contained no “sexually explicit” content accessible to minors. However, as we’ve seen throughout the book ban discourse, the vagueness of terms like “sexually explicit” leaves the door open to banning everything from romance novels to books about health to picture books containing LGBTQ+ characters. Fortunately, this particular ordinance has been dropped, but similar laws could be proposed in the future anywhere around the state.
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Resources for library staff, educators, and board members.
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Tips and templates for promoting intellectual freedom in your community.
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Request support as you take action to protect First Amendment rights.
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MLA 2023 Annual Conference: Connecting the Dots |
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Registration is OPEN! Join us October 18-20, in person in Kalamazoo for MLA 2023 Annual Conference: Connecting the Dots. |
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MLA 2023 Annual Conference registration is OPEN! You're invited to join the Michigan library community this October 18-20 at the Radisson Plaza Hotel in Kalamazoo. This year, we are focusing on how libraries are "Connecting the Dots".
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100 W Michigan Avenue
Kalamazoo, MI 49007
MLA Room Rate: $148.00 per night, plus tax for a standard room with one or two beds, if reserved before September 26, 2023.
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MLA 2023 Keynote Speakers |
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Call for Exhibitors and Sponsors |
Do you offer products and services for libraries? Don't miss the opportunity to connect with hundreds of library staff and support our upcoming MLA 2023 Annual Conference on October 18-20, 2023 in Kalamazoo, Michigan!
Contact Amber Sheerin, MLA Program and Event Director at (517) 881-3194 or asheerin@milibraries.org to learn more about sponsoring or exhibiting at MLA 2022 Annual Conference.
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Upcoming MLA Connect Webinars |
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Check out the MLA Connect On Demand virtual education platform! MLA members have access to dozens of virtual programs and sessions on a wide variety of topics, all available to view on-demand. To view available programs, visit MLA Connect On Demand, browse the archives, and log in with your MLA individual login credentials. |
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Are you making a job change and looking for guidance? Do you have experience in libraries that others could benefit from? Consider joining MLA’s Mentorship Program! This self-directed, one-on-one partnership program lasts for six months and is open to all MLA members. Mark your calendar because mentee applications for fall open on Tuesday, August 1! Learn more and apply at milibraries.org/mentor-program.
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Shop our store for MI Right to Read apparel and MLA swag. We have shirts designed by local artists that promote the right to read, plus MI Right to Read and MLA merch like hoodies, shirts, mugs, and totes! Check out our store, order your gear, and wear your support of libraries and the right to read! |
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Organizational Membership Renewal |
Thank you to all of our organizational members for your continued support! Organizational membership renewal information for the 2023-2024 member year was sent in April. If you have any questions about your membership or renewal please contact Rachel Ash, MLA Membership and Communications Director at rfash@milibraries.org.
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Accessing Your Library's Member Record |
Organizational representatives: To access your library’s member record, visit milibraries.org and log in to the online member portal using your individual login credentials. From the member portal home page navigation menu, select "Go to Profile," then navigate to "My Profile" and select "Your Organization" from the dropdown list. You are now interacting as your library! |
View the Organizational Member Directory |
Search the MLA Organizational Member Directory to view library organizational members of MLA. You can search by library name, address or zip or view all organizational members in alphabetical order. Need to update your library's info? Library directors can log in to their individual member profiles to access and update their library's organizational membership.
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Strategic Partner Membership |
MLA Strategic Partner members help support our statewide partnerships and collaborations that unite all Michigan libraries, foster healthy communities, promote education and literacy and advance arts and culture in Michigan. Strategic Partners include library vendors, service providers, community organizations and philanthropic institutions.
If you are looking for an opportunity to show support for the library community, stay informed on the latest news and trends in the library profession, connect with library staff and build collaborative relationships within the library profession, then we invite you to join our network of hundreds of libraries, library professional and supporters from all across Michigan. Strategic Partner membership with MLA provides exclusive benefits, including:
- Discount for one lead staff on event registration
- Access to our searchable member directory
- Listing with your organization’s information in our partner directory
- Scrolling banner ad on our Strategic Partner Directory webpage
- 10% discounts on exhibiting at our annual conference and our Spring Institute for Youth Services conference
- 10% discount on advertising in our conference program book
If you have any questions about membership with MLA, please contact Rachel Ash, Membership and Communications Director at rfash@milibraries.org.
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Library Directors: HealthiestYou is an affordable option for providing your library staff with access to free online healthcare. It's a healthcare service that offers convenient, confidential access to quality doctors and providers by phone, video, or app 24/7/365.
Questions or Ready to Enroll?
HealthiestYou is available exclusively to MLA Organizational Members. Please contact Rachel Ash, MLA Membership and Communications Director at rfash@milibraries.org to confirm your library’s eligibility or to join MLA. Rachel will connect you with Corey Cushing to begin the enrollment process.
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Do you have news you want to share? Contact Lisa Buttigieg at lbuttigieg@milibraries.org to share news of promotions, new hires, appointments, awards or a tribute in memoriam. |
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Congratulations to Krista Vincent on her new role as the Director of the Putnam District Library. Krista says being a small-town librarian is a dream job and gives her more time close to home with her family. Wishing you great success in your new role! |
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Wishing all the best to Sharon Christian who serves as the new Library Director along with her role as the Associate Dean of Student Success and Retention at Schoolcraft College. |
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Caro Area District Library welcomed Tara Olar as a Library Assistant! Tara will be in charge of the interlibrary loan systems and will be planning some library events. All the best Tara! |
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Congratulations to Kristin Shelley who has accepted the Executive Director position at the Hussey-Mayfield Memorial Public Library in Zionsville, Indiana. Wishing you great success in your new role Kristin, you will be missed! |
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Advertise on MLA’s Job Board |
Members receive deep discounts on job postings through the MLA Job Board. Learn more here.
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Comstock Township Library - Comstock Township, MI
Fowlerville District Library - Fowlerville, MI
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Home - MI Library is Now!
MI Library is NOW A place to experience and access... LEARN MORE What's at MI Library? Programming and Events Attend a book club or game night, join afterschool programs, bring the family for storytime, and more. Technology Connect to the...
Read more
www.milibraryisnow.com
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Bridging Michigan Grants | Michigan Humanities
Bridging Michigan grants provide Michigan nonprofits with up to $2,500 in support of public humanities programming that sparks in-depth thinking and conversation around persistent challenges affecting our communities. We welcome projects that aim ...
Read more
www.michiganhumanities.org
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Michigan Arts and Culture Council Grants
The Michigan Arts and Culture Council (MACC) coordinates grants to arts and culture organizations, cities and municipalities, and other nonprofit organizations ensuring that every citizen and community in Michigan enjoys the civic, economic and...
Read more
www.michiganbusiness.org
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With the severe uptick in local and statewide book challenges, ALA offers this clearinghouse of resources to assist library workers and library advocates in responding to and supporting others facing those challenges. Report challenges to the Office for Intellectual Freedom, and let ALA know if you need assistance.
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Don't keep this great resource to yourself!
Please share this newsletter with your colleagues and networks.
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Executive Director
(517) 881-1266
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Membership and Communications Director
(517) 881-6652
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Database Coordinator
(517) 881-0496
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Administrative Assistant
(517) 881-1683
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Program and Event Director
(517) 881-3194
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Connect with MLA on social media! Like and Follow us on Facebook and Twitter for the latest real-time updates from MLA staff, library news, inspirational and educational posts and more! We also ask that you share this invitation with friends and help us extend our reach so important advocacy updates and calls to action are heard by library supporters throughout the state. |
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Uniting the Michigan Library Community
MLA is proud to partner with organizations serving the library community.
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