New Chair of Intellectual Freedom Task Force

On Friday, March 18, the MLA Board of Directors appointed Dillon Geshel to serve as the Chair of the Intellectual Freedom Task Force to replace outgoing Chair, Jasmine Parker.

The Intellectual Freedom Task Force serves as a subgroup and coordinates with the Advocacy and Legislative Committee on establishing progressive priorities relating to library collections, censorship and privacy. The purpose of the task force is to support MLA in safeguarding intellectual freedom and first amendment rights, proactively educate and inform the library field of legislation related to intellectual freedom, develop a position and response by MLA in instances of controversy over censorship, and encourage Michigan libraries to develop policies that will support free speech and the freedom to read.

The MLA Board Shuffle

In October, MLA’s President Ryan Wieber announced he was moving out of state for a new opportunity and resigned from the MLA Board. The MLA Board of Directors has appointed President-Elect Scott Duimstra to step into the role of President a little early. Scott has been engaged in public libraries for more than 18 years which has given him a broad vision of how public libraries function in Michigan. He began his career in Los Angeles Public Library as an adult services librarian and between 2005 to the present, he has moved up the ranks at the Capital Area District Library from Public Services Librarian to Training Specialist to Associate Director of Public Service to Senior Associate Director to Executive Director. Scott is well-rounded and possesses a big-picture focus and global outlook. He is a change agent, he has the ability to present, persuade and influence as evidenced by his time as the Secretary/Treasurer and short-stint as President-Elect, and he is just an overall really nice guy.