Michigan Library Association

Written by Kelly Richards, MLA 2021-2022 President

President's Update - Letter From Kelly

July 22, 2021

With my first official letter as President of the Michigan Library Association (MLA), I want to thank every library worker for their hard work and perseverance during this pandemic. I don’t believe any of us were prepared or trained to deal with a crisis on such a historical scale. In the midst of the fear, loss of life and uncertainty, we managed to come together and support one another. We held local and state-wide Zoom meetings sharing ideas on how to protect staff and patrons and the best way to provide services.

Jennifer Dean, the out-going President, was awesome in the way she led MLA without the ability to meet in person. It appears we are coming out of this and I hope that I can keep Jennifer’s momentum going. Though she is the immediate past President, we are fortunate that she will remain on the Board.

MLA Advocacy - December 21, 2018

Special Lame Duck Update: What passed, what died and what is still in question.

At 4.:30 a.m. this morning the House was still in session passing bills. They started at 10:00 a.m. on Thursday. The Senate adjourned at 8:18 a.m. after their marathon session. The 2018 legislative year and contentious lame duck session is finally over. We'll be watching for any legislation that may have passed in the dark of night as legislators finished up work on their final bills.

MLA Advocacy - November 29, 2018

NARCAN Bills Head to Senate Floor

SB 828 and 829 cleared the Senate Health Policy Committee this week and are headed to the Senate floor. The bills would offer liability protection for libraries when providing the life-saving opioid antidote naloxone, common brand name Narcan, to an overdosing patron. Recently, the Senate Health Policy Committee took testimony on SB 828 and 829, and as a result of testimony headed up by MLA President Kristin Shelley, the committee chair requested an amendment to the legislation which would protect all public locations from liability including libraries. While this delayed the legislation briefly the broader implications for public safety are tremendous. We fully expect legislation to be signed into law by the end of this legislative session.

Written by Deborah E. Mikula, MLA Executive Director

Letter From Debbie

June 24, 2021

Why do some places exude a spirit of community more than other places? Why do some places become focal points and anchors in their community and others do not? Why do we feel such a strong sense of belonging in some places over others?

I have discovered that most of us are drawn to places that are unique and creative, to places that exude a sense of community, to places that are lively and inviting, to places that are diverse and inclusive, to places that promote people’s happiness and well-being. Our libraries are these places. Our libraries are “third spaces” to many, and over the course of the past 15 months, you have been missed. Greatly missed!

MLA Member Group Life and Long-Term Disability Insurance Survey

June 16, 2021

MLA is considering creating a consortium or buying pool through National Insurance Services, for member libraries to purchase employer-paid group life and long-term disability (LTD) insurance.

To accomplish this, we would need interest and commitment from enough libraries to meet a minimum number of covered employee lives. This survey is to gauge interest amongst our member libraries to decide if we should take any next steps.

If established, this group life and LTD consortium would have the following advantages:

Part of a consortium with thousands of other public sector employers across the country
Rate stability as part of that large purchasing group – year after year, over 95% of groups get no increase or a decrease in rates
Benefit flexibility to match existing policies, or design a new program to meet your needs and budget
Employee Assistance Program (EAP) included at no additional cost
ID theft assistance and restoration services at no additional cost
Anticipated initial savings of 15% over in-force rates, and large group discounted pricing for libraries with no current coverage in-force
Available to employees working as little as 20 hours/week
Three-year initial rate guarantees