MLA’s “Primary Source” is an exclusive, first-hand account of the latest news and announcements from the staff of the Michigan Library Association.

Mars has been a favorite object of skywatchers for centuries and of space explorers for decades. I watched in amazement a few months ago when Perseverance landed on the surface of Mars (~150 million miles away) having lifted off from earth in July 2020. I was also watching a few days ago when NASA’s first solar-powered helicopter, Ingenuity, took flight on Mars (the first-ever flight on another planet – as exciting as the Wright Brothers' first flight on earth). I found all of this inspiring and incredible in what can be achieved when individuals with a dream work together, collaborate, bring their individual talents to the table to achieve something greater than the sum of its parts.

As I watched the small group of engineers in a nondescript conference room wait to see if Ingenuity would fly (with livestreaming captured over three hours later), I was totally intrigued by the largeness and placement of letters above the technicians' heads that couldn’t be missed. They read “Dare Mighty Things”[1].

We should all be so bold in our thinking! Read more

Congratulations to MLA's new Directors! Ryan Wieber, Library Director, Kalamazoo Public Library was voted President-elect. Anne Heidemann, Tribal Librarian, Saginaw Chippewa Tribal Libraries; Cathleen Russ, Library Director, West Bloomfield Township Public Library; and Tiffany Russell, former Social Services Manager, Niles District Library, were elected as Members-at-Large to serve three-year terms, beginning July 1, 2021, and ending June 30, 2024.

Many thanks to all the candidates for demonstrating leadership by agreeing to run and to all our members who voted. We look forward to a great year! Please feel free to welcome and congratulate our new Directors!

Organizational membership renewal information for the 2021-2022 member year was mailed last month. A form to submit information for the new complimentary Linked Trustees organizational member benefit was included with your renewal communications.

Don't forget your library can take advantage of group invoicing for staff individual membership to save you time on processing renewal invoices throughout the year! Note according to the bylaws, membership in the association is not transferable or assignable, but there is an exception for Affiliated Individual memberships that are paid for by an Organizational member to address staffing changes. If you are interested in taking advantage of this offer, please contact MLA Administrative Assistant, Lisa Buttigieg who will be happy to help answer any questions you may have. She can be reached by phone at (517) 394-2774 ext. 227 or by email at [email protected].

Not an Organizational Member? Join us! While there is still a lot of uncertainty in the world right now, we are certain about this: we are stronger together. Our goal is to engage every library, library worker and library supporter in Michigan in the association. The more member participation we have, the more we will accomplish for all Michigan libraries and library workers. We hope you and your library will join us!

To join our community today, visit us on the web and fill out the organizational member form, or contact Rachel Ash, Membership and Communications Director at [email protected] or (517) 394-2774.

To take advantage of discount pricing, new subscribers will need to sign up and return order forms by June 1, 2021, for services beginning in mid-June. For details on the program and to subscribe please contact Karen Riggione, Regional Account Executive, State & Local, LinkedIn Learning at [email protected] or call (714) 293-9236.

For questions about MLA membership or member benefits, contact MLA Membership and Communications Director, Rachel Ash at [email protected].

Save the date for the can't-miss virtual event for celebrating excellence in the Michigan library community. Mark your calendars and plan to join the Michigan Library Association, the Library of Michigan, the Michigan Association for Media in Education (MAME), and the Michigan Academic Library Association (MiALA) on Wednesday, October 13, 2021, as we celebrate the accomplishments, dedication and service of outstanding libraries, library staff, trustees and supporters. Do you have a colleague who deserves recognition? Watch for the call for nominations this summer!

Call to Action: MLA Opposes HB 4530-4533

On April 27, House Bills 4530-4533 were presented and passed in the Michigan House of Representatives. This package of bills eliminates the May and August elections and replaces them with a June election. Click the links to see who voted in support and who opposed. HB 4530 passed 63 to 46, HB 4531 passed 67 to 42, HB 4532 passed 65 to 44, and HB 4533 passed 65 to 44.

House Bills 4530-4533 would amend different acts to remove the May regular election date and move the date of the primary election in Michigan from August to June, limiting a jurisdiction to holding only two elections in a year.

Libraries rely on locally dedicated millages for funding. A millage loss could very well close the doors permanently for a library, so alternative dates to re-present their proposal to their community during the calendar year are essential. Additional restrictions to the number of times each year that a millage can be brought before voters are detrimental to libraries. Read MLA's Statement in Opposition to Any Restrictions to Millage Dates by the Michigan Legislature

These bills now pass to our Senators for consideration, and they need to hear from us now about why it is important to keep three election dates to allow libraries more flexibility in seeking millages. Please contact your Senator today to tell them that libraries need three millage election dates. Ask them to oppose HBs 4530-4533 and ANY legislation that limits election dates and hurts a library's ability to seek funding.

Click Take Action to visit our website and contact your Senator. We’ve created a template email for you that you can modify to share your concerns or send-as-is. Thank you for taking action to support libraries!

State Reps. Darrin Camilleri (D-Trenton), Matt Koleszar (D-Plymouth) and Amos O’Neal (D-Saginaw) introduced a package of bills that would require a library staffed by a certified media specialist in every public school in the state.

House Bill 4663, would require a school board to employ at least one certified media specialist for each school library operated by its district.

House Bill 4664, would require a school library in every Michigan public school, and also would require the library to be accessible to students and offer resources in both electronic and print form.

House Bill 4665, would require a principal or other appropriate administrator to designate an individual to supervise students in a school library when a certified media specialist is not present.

The bills now move to the House Committee on Education for consideration. Take action for school libraries today by asking your Representative to support HBs 4663-4665. Visit our website to use our online form to email your legislator. Advocates can edit the email template or send-as-is. Thank you for taking action to support libraries!

The Michigan Library Association (MLA) and the Michigan Association for Media in Education (MAME) are committed to doing everything we can, in our libraries, schools, and communities to promote justice and equality for all. It has come to our attention that a white media assistant that works in the library at Ganiard Elementary School in Mount Pleasant, Michigan, cut the hair of a biracial child without parental permission.

MLA and MAME are using our voices as representatives of all Michigan libraries and library workers, including school libraries, to stand in support of 7-year-old Jurnee Hoffmeyer. Read the statement.

The Michigan Library Association calls on Michigan lawmakers to amend the 1976 Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act and support and enact House Bill 4275 – Michigan CROWN Act – as sponsored by Representative Sarah Anthony (D - Lansing), specifically created to prohibit discrimination against hair texture and hairstyle choices. The CROWN Act will specify hair texture and protective hairstyles, such as braids, locs and twists, as traits historically associated with race to protect Michiganders from discrimination in the workplace, all levels of public education, public accommodations and services, and real estate transactions. This legislation echoes successful efforts in seven other states to ban discrimination against natural hairstyles in the workplace, all levels of public education, public accommodations and services, and real estate transactions. Learn more about the CROWN Act Coalition.

The quarantine period for books and other materials loaned and returned to a library during the pandemic has been the subject of much discussion. Seven days for everything? Four days for this, two days for that? 24 hours?

Early on in the pandemic, MLA made a recommendation that relied on the newly released REALM study results, but with each passing test and no formal recommendation from OCLC, our members began looking at other local and national authorities for advice and counsel.

Libraries across Michigan consulted with their local departments of health and have done in-depth research into the Center for Disease Control's (CDC) statement that the principal mode of transmission of COVID-19 is through exposure to respiratory droplets. They have also taken into consideration the comfort/safety of their boards, staff members and patrons.

According to the CDC, based on available epidemiological data and studies of environmental transmission factors, surface transmission is not the main route by which SARS-CoV-2 spreads, and the risk is considered to be low. MLA feels comfortable in relinquishing our recommendation and letting each library make a personal choice on whether to continue quarantining their loaned items. As many of our members have stated to us, circulation is still low, items tend to have a natural resting period on the shelves, and libraries have taken the necessary precautions on cleaning/processing. The CDC continues to state that “The risk of transmission can be reduced by wearing masks consistently and correctly, practicing hand hygiene, cleaning, and taking other measures to maintain healthy facilities.”

MLA also wants to be sure that you take note of the quarantine policies still in place by MCLS and some of the Cooperatives on this issue.

Read the CDC Science Brief: SARS-CoV-2 and Surface (Fomite) Transmission for Indoor Community Environment

On April 16, the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) extended its Gatherings and Mask epidemic order. The order includes the expansion of mask requirements to children ages 2 to 4 to further protect the state’s residents and remains in effect through May 24, 2021, at 11:59 PM.

There are gathering restrictions for library facilities. A gathering at a retail setting, library, or museum must not exceed 50% of total occupancy limits established by the State Fire Marshal or a local fire marshal. Nevertheless, a retail store, library, or museum may permit one customer at a time to enter if strict adherence to the 50% total occupancy limit would otherwise result in closure.

View the April 19, 2021 - Gatherings and Face Mask Order. View the infographic that highlights order requirements.

On April 29, Governor Gretchen Whitmer set Michigan on a pathway to return to normal by unveiling the ‘MI Vacc to Normal’ plan as the state continues to push toward its goal of vaccinating 70% of Michiganders ages 16 years or older. To facilitate this goal, the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) will base future epidemic order actions on four vaccination-based milestones that, once achieved, will enable Michigan to take a step toward normalcy.

The ‘MI Vacc to Normal’ plan will use four vaccination-based milestones -- using data for Michiganders 16 years or older who’ve received their first dose -- to guide future steps required to get back to normal:

The Michigan Occupational Safety and Health Administration (MIOSHA) has extended its emergency rules until October 14, 2021. (NOTE: the emergency rules can be modified or withdrawn at any time in response to changes in COVID-19 spread.)

 

Under the emergency rules, employers must continue to implement policies that require remote work for employees where remote work is feasible, to help ensure that COVID-19 transmission is mitigated to the maximum extent possible. While in-person work is permitted when remote work is not feasible, remote work is recommended as a strategy to minimize in-person contacts and is included in guidance from the CDC and Federal OSHA to protect employees in the workplace.

 

The rules establish workplace safety requirements and employers should coordinate these requirements with the MDHHS Emergency Order restricting gathering sizes, requiring face coverings in public spaces and childcare facilities, placing capacity limitations on stores, bars and other public venues and providing safer workplaces. https://www.michigan.gov/.../Final_MIOSHA_Rules_705164_7.pdf

Introduced in the Senate on January 28 (S. 127) by Sen. Jack Reed (D-RI), along with Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), and Ron Wyden (D-OR), and the House on March 3 (H.R. 1581) by Rep. Andy Levin (D-MI-9) and Rep. Don Young (R-AK), the Build America’s Libraries Act would provide $5 billion in funding to upgrade the nation's library infrastructure to address challenges such as natural disasters, COVID-19, broadband capacity, environmental hazards, and accessibility barriers. This groundbreaking legislation would pave the way for new and improved library facilities in underserved communities across the country. Michigan libraries would be eligible for over $135 Million.

In order to ensure that the Build America's Libraries Act advances as stand-alone legislation or part of a larger infrastructure package, we need to continue building support for the bill and awareness of library facility needs. For more information, visit: ala.org/advocacy/buildlibraries

Take action now and urge President Biden and your U.S. Senator and House member to invest in library infrastructure!

President Biden is expected to soon submit the details of his proposed budget spending requests for Fiscal Year (FY) 2022, which includes federal funding amounts for libraries. Libraries need our help NOW until the final budget is signed in order to ensure that libraries are fully funded in the next fiscal year.

The American Library Association (ALA) has launched the annual FY2022 #FundLibraries Campaign. Check out resources that can be shared amongst your community. Included is the one-page introduction to federal library funding, state-by-state library factsheets to share with your elected officials, and a handy visual guide on the overall federal appropriations process.

For FY2022, ALA is asking Congressional appropriators to include funding of at least $206 million for the Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) and $50 million for the Innovative Approaches to Literacy (IAL) grant program.

Please contact your Senators and ask them to sign the Dear Appropriator letters before the May 7th deadline.

Learn more about the library director role and what it takes in session one and get ready to move forward in your career at the second session that will help you prepare for an interview.

Tuesday, May 18, 2021, 10-11:30 a.m.

Tuesday, June 1, 2021, 10:00 – 11:00 a.m.

MLA members can attend both sessions for only $50! Early Bird Rates expire May 7, 2021. View complete details and register at milibraries.org.

The challenges and changes of the past year have been significant for the library community in Michigan. After shutting our doors in the early days of the pandemic, libraries have had different experiences with reopening and offering services in the community. Some have opened up at lower capacities while others continue to remain closed and offer curbside service. Libraries have also sought different ways to attend to the need for broadband access (i.e. mobile hotspots) and public health (i.e. food distribution sites).

Now, many months into this pandemic, Michigan Libraries should take the opportunity to revisit strategies, plan for the future, and identify the opportunities to go forward with intention and strategic focus.

This workshop will be interactive and include opportunities for members to engage with one another. Attendees will explore strategic questions such as:

View these jobs and more at the MLA Career Center. Have a job to post? Members receive deep discounts on job postings through the MLA Career Center job board Learn more here.

Bloomfield Township Public Library – Bloomfield Township, MI

Wisconsin Library Association – Virtual/Remote, NA

Public Libraries of Saginaw – Saginaw, MI

Superiorland Library Cooperative – Marquette, MI