Delivered to your inbox on the 4
th
Thursday of every month, 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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If you've been watching our Facebook page this summer you know that MLA has been on the road around the state, enjoying behind the scene tours, and participating in thought-provoking conversations about where you, our members, feel we should head. With our leadership transition firmly established, I am inspired by the honest and open dialog that I am having at these visits. You’ve stated that you want MLA to be intentional about our future, to move the needle, to look outward at other industries, and bring a fresh, new perspective to our collective impact.
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View the #MLAontheRoad slideshow by clicking below!
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MLA 2019 Scholarship Deadline is September 6
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MLA 2019 Annual Conference scholarship applications are due
September 6, 2019.
Education Fund Scholarships are available to MLA members for paying all or part of MLA 2019 conference registration fees. Applicants must be an individual member of MLA to qualify. Organizational members may apply for a scholarship on behalf of any staff member, provided that person is an individual member of MLA.
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Each year the MLA Board turns over and has to say goodbye to some great board members and at the same time we say hello to some wonderful individuals. This year, we welcome
Julia Eisenstein
, University of Detroit Mercy Library as our President-elect,
Mollie Freier
, Northern Michigan University Library,
Scott Duimstra
, Capital Area District Libraries, and returning board members
Karen Knox
, Orion Township Public Library and
Kelly Richards
, Muskegon Area District Library. While it's exciting to welcome new members, we also want to wish a fond farewell to those rotating off the board -
Marc Boucher
, from Lake Superior State University Library,
Michelle Boisvenue-Fox
, Kent District Library and
Juliane Morian
, Clinton-Macomb Public Library.
The membership makes their choices in the spring, and new board members begin their three-year-terms in July. The Nominating and Leadership Development Committee, led by Pamela Christensen of Marquette, begins their work this fall with to identify a slate of candidates for election in 2020. Watch for more information in September if you are interested in throwing your name in the hat – we’d love to consider your candidacy to help lead the premier library association in Michigan.
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Call for Participants: Style in the Stacks Fashion Show
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You're invited to participate in the
MLA 2019
Fashion Show: Style in the Stacks. Show off your creativity while helping raise money for the MLA Education Fund.
Gather your creative ideas and construct an ensemble from library materials. Then model your creation on October 17, at the MLA Annual Conference Networking Lunch and Fashion Show. Attendees will choose their favorite style with a $10 voting ticket.
Get your entire library involved! Use this as a fun team-building exercise and take home bragging rights for the best dressed library staff. To participate, submit a description of your library fashion, materials used, method of construction, names of those involved in creating the project, model's name and contact information via the
online form
by
September 6, 2019.
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For the past few months, Rachel Ash, MLA’s Membership, Communications and Marketing Director has been working to redesign and incorporate a new architecture to the MLA website. We have a little more work to do before we show you all the work we’ve done but stay tuned for the big unveil in early September.
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ADVOCACY
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#StrongerTogether
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Free Narcan Prescription for Public Libraries
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Pictured left to right: Larry Neal, Director, Clinton-Macomb Public Library; Kristin Shelley, Director, East Lansing Public Library; Bob DeVries, GCSI; Debbie Mikula, Executive Director, Michigan Library Association; Governor Gretchen Whitmer; Audrey Wojno; Senator Paul Wojno; Connie Platte and Bill Drake, Senator Wojno staff members. Front and center: Abby DeVries.
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We are still celebrating the huge victory for our libraries and librarians with the passage of the Narcan bill package this past June. This new legislation provides liability protection for libraries when providing the life-saving opioid antidote naloxone, common brand name Narcan, to an overdosing patron. Recently, Governor Whitmer invited MLA and others to a ceremonial bill signing. MLA’s advocacy efforts have again been recognized with this signed, sealed and delivered legislation. But it doesn’t stop there.
As the Narcan bills came into effect in late June, MLA was also working with Emergent BioSolutions, the only provider of Narcan nasal spray in the country, to provide a free nasal prescription for this life-saving opioid antidote for our public libraries.
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Trial Court Funding Commission Update
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The MLA Legislative Committee took up discussion at its June meeting on the
Trial Court Funding Commission Report
, which calls for a switch from penal fine driven funding to state funding in order to avoid assessing prejudiced costs on defendants, that in turn pay for court costs. As the report calls for the ending of Michigan's constitutionally-mandated penal fine revenue for libraries, it was agreed that the MLA Legislative Committee would not recommend supporting it.
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State of Michigan Budget Update
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We are staying appraised of the State of Michigan Budget situation, but as of now, no budget compromise has been reached. The Governor and the Republican leadership have until the end of September to pass a budget or risk a government shutdown. When lawmakers return to Lansing the week of August 26, they will have approximately five weeks to approve a budget. Funding for the roads – both the amount needed, and the source, has been the roadblock to finishing the budget. While both sides have been working behind the scenes and discussions have taken place, no negotiations have taken place to outline details of the framework.
Both the House and the Senate are proposing significant budget cuts across the board to funnel more money towards roads. Despite this, we have been able to keep State Aid to Libraries funded at the current level in both the House and Senate proposed budgets. We'll keep working for a small increase, but this year anything that is not a spending cut should be considered a win.
Similarly, the Michigan E-Library has no change in funding in the House version of the budget. The Senate has proposed a very small increase in funding to the E-Library.
We'll know a lot more once the budget is finalized. Stay tuned for more updates.
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National Library Advocacy is Important Too!
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With members of Congress on recess this summer, it is the perfect time to invite your federal legislators to visit your library and let them see for themselves all the ways libraries bring value to their communities.
As you may have heard in the news, the Trump administration appears to be moving forward with a budget deal, after weeks of negotiations between congressional leaders and White House officials. The agreement currently includes increased or level funding for most domestic and defense programs. In May, the House included significant increases in their funding, countering the administration’s call to eliminate many of these programs. While work still needs to be done to secure passage of the final appropriations, this week’s announcement is an important step and lessens the likelihood of a government shutdown.
With this development in mind, this August is a crucial time to invite your legislative leadership into your facilities to experience firsthand what the library has to offer. Get them into your spaces, show them what you are doing, and what you can do with more resources.
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MLA 2019 Annual Conference
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Opening Keynote
With
Dr. Steve Robbins
Your Brain is Good at Inclusion...
Except When it's Not
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Thursday
Morning Keynote With Lance Werner
Better Libraries and Stronger Communities Through Kindness, Empathy and Love
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Closing Keynote
With
Dr. Derrick Gay
Re-framing Diversity for the 21st Century: Mirrors and Windows in our Library Collections
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Location and Hotel Accommodations
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Conference Venue
Suburban Collection Showplace
46100 Grand River Ave.
Novi, MI 48374
(248) 348-5600
Hotel
Hyatt Place Detroit/Novi
46080 Grand River Ave
Novi, MI 48374
(248) 513-4111
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Event Cancelled: Collaborating Partners Workshop
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The workshop “Who Are We?” that was to take place on November 15, 2019, produced by the Michigan Collaborating Partners (Michigan Cooperative Directors Association, Library of Michigan, Midwest Collaborative for Library Services, Michigan Library Association and Michigan Academic Libraries Association) has been cancelled.
An immediate reaction from our library community, who spoke out and shared their knowledge and concern over our chosen keynote speaker, caused the planning committee to stop and reassess our goals for the workshop. Collaborating Partners are committed to providing timely, relevant and thoughtful workshops for the Michigan library community and after careful consideration and input from library staff around the state, we have decided to cancel the workshop.
We are moving forward to revisit the agenda for a Spring 2020 workshop, making certain that the day provides authoritative information, considerate discourse, and represents varying perspectives. MLA facilitated a discussion immediately after the cancellation with members of our library community and they gave us important insight into the future workshop and volunteered to step up to help us plan a successful event.
Because gender shapes our lives and identities in so many ways, we want to make sure that as we move forward we present an inclusive event that will inform those we work with and those that we work for – our patrons. We want to make sure that we hear from and include the voices and experiences of those that are impacted in our communities and that at the end of the day, we all have a new appreciation and can celebrate our human differences.
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March 3-4, 2020
May 11, 2020
August 8, 2020
October 27-28, 2020
March 18-20, 2020
April 03, 2020
April 20, 2020
May 01, 2020
May 29, 2020
October 27-30, 2020
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Have a job to post? Members receive deep discounts on job postings through the MLA Career Center job board.
Learn more here.
Fremont Area District Library
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Fremont, MI
City of Big Rapids
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Big Rapids, MI
Portage District Library
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Portage, MI
Traverse Area District Library
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Traverse City, MI
Fowlerville District Library
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Fowlerville, MI
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