Michiganders Encouraged to Participate in the Redistricting Process (Again!)

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled that Michigan’s court-ordered legislative map redrawing for seven state House districts must move forward. Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson encourages Michiganders to take part in upcoming public sessions of the Michigan Independent Citizen’s Redistricting Commission (MICRC) to redraw the seven state house districts.

Take Action! Help Advance Education Research - New Bill in Congress

The Advancing Research in Education Act (AREA) S. 3392, was passed by the HELP Committee on December 12.

ALA Councilor's Report - December 2023

In our November Special Council meeting the Committee on Accreditation brought their report on updating the Standards for Accreditation of Master’s Programs in Library and Information Studies to a vote for council adoption. Council passed this vote and the Standards written in 2015 will be revised.

MLA Future Pathways Grant Program

Formerly known as the Equity Fund Grant, the Future Pathways Grant was overhauled and updated guidelines were approved by the MLA Board in December 2023. Applications are now open and will be considered for the July 2024 deadline.

Books Save Lives Act Introduced To US Congress

The Books Save Lives Act would ensure trained librarians in every school and classify book bans as federal civil rights violations.

Note From Debbie

December 21, 2023

“Think Big”

MLA is a little organization. Not in terms of our mission, but in terms of our size. With only five staff members and a budget normally under $1M, we are considered small in the nonprofit and association world. And while we may be small, we are MIGHTY, and, we THINK BIG!

Where do we get inspiration to be mighty? Rather than viewing resource constraints (like our budget and staff size) as limitations, small organizations like MLA find our strength in articulating our entrepreneurial spirit. MLA thrives on innovation, on instituting creative ideas, on listening to the needs of our members, on knowing our own limited capacity and taking calculated risks. Big thinking often involves stepping out of our comfort zone.  

MLA actually draws inspiration from all sorts of organizations, especially larger organizations to achieve our goals. For us, the key to “thinking big” lies not in mimicking larger organizations but in molding and shaping many of their successful programs into our unique, small organization. We look for cost-effective ways to implement those big ideas without compromising the end result. We are resourceful, finding ways to do more with less and we innovate out of necessity – you can too. Those big organizations, or big libraries, that share big ideas at conferences are always worthwhile to listen to. And while it may not all resonate, if we listen closely, there are always, always, always bits and pieces that can be creatively implemented by smaller organizations. And many times, we will do it better.