Michigan Library Association

2019 Thumbs Up! Award Teen Vote Open Through May 31

We are pleased to announce the top ten titles for the 2019 Thumbs Up! Award. A group of youth and teen librarians worked throughout the year to read from a list of more than 150 titles to identify the top selections using the following criteria: story, setting, theme, voice, accuracy, style, characters and design.

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Note From Debbie

March 27, 2025

Last week, I attended a think tank discussion, where this quote from JRR Tolkien’s The Fellowship of the Ring, was shared: 

I wish it need not have happened in my time,” said Frodo. 

“So do I,” said Gandalf, “and so do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.

We didn’t dwell on the quote very long, but it lingered in my thoughts with a realization that even without full control on a situation, we still need to have courage and hope - to speak up, stand up and share our values - even when we are afraid.      

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Advocacy Action Plan FY25

The MLA Advocacy and Legislative Committee, chaired by Jenny Marr, finalized the 2024-2025 Action Plan. The plan outlines the top legislative priorities on both a State and Federal level as well as an advocacy plan to promote the value of libraries and librarians to both legislators and the general public.

View the MLA 2024-2025 Advocacy Action Plan at milibraries.org/mla-advocacy

 
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MLA Statements of Principle

For the past year, MLA’s Intellectual Freedom Task Force has been focused on refining our commitment to censorship challenges in our public libraries. We have found that we needed talking points to counter questions and concerns about age appropriateness and about rating and labeling systems. Over the course of the past two months, the task force, the Advocacy and Legislative Committee and the MLA Board have been workshopping these statements of principle that outline our stance when it comes to these challenges. These are statements that have been molded and shaped into shared messaging that reinforces our library values of protecting intellectual freedom for every citizen of Michigan.

Statement of Principle on Book Rating Systems and Labelling in Public Libraries (pdf)

Statement of Principle on Age Appropriateness and Placement of Materials in Public Libraries (pdf)

 
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Joint Statement on IMLS from Michigan Libraries, Museums, and Archives

On March 14, 2025, President Trump issued an Executive Order (EO) that adversely affects the only federal agency that provides resources to our nation’s libraries, museums, and archives. The EO “Continuing the Reduction of the Federal Bureaucracy” directs the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) to eliminate non-statutory programs and reduce its functions and personnel to the minimum required by law. For IMLS, this would mean a dramatic reduction in its scope and capacity to support our nation's cultural institutions. Libraries and museums across the country will feel the effects of these cuts, particularly in areas reliant on discretionary funding and special initiatives.

Michigan receives modest federal funding from IMLS, but our 397 public library systems, 87 academic libraries, nearly 3,000 school libraries, 650 museums, and hundreds of historical organizations pride themselves on using these resources efficiently and innovatively to deliver outstanding programs and services. The changes to IMLS ordered in the EO would be devastating to the cultural and literary landscape enjoyed by all Michigan residents.

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