School Library Pilot Grants

The Michigan Department of Education has announced that application materials are available for section 802 school library pilot grants. Section 802 of Public Act 87 of 2021 (page 47) provides $800,000 in competitive funding to be awarded to local school districts headquartered in four counties. Learn more: 2022 - 033 Section 802 - Library Pilot Program Grants

Nominations for MLA Awards Now Accepted Year Round!

April 4, 2022

Do you know an awesome library professional or library supporter who deserves recognition for their work in Michigan libraries? You can now submit a nomination for any of MLA's awards year-round! Learn more and submit a nomination today!

The Call for Nominations for the Michigan Library Awards will open later this Spring, but if you already have someone in mind that you know deserves recognition and celebration, we encourage and welcome your submission now for any of MLA's Awards!

Letter From Debbie

Match 24, 2022

A close friend and colleague often tells me, “Your passion is showing!” And indeed, it does! When you love what you do and find excitement and inspiration in every nuance and challenge, you become what another former colleague at Project for Public Spaces calls “Zealous Nuts” or better yet, what Dale Carnegie labels as “Flaming Enthusiasm.” For 45 years, I’ve been able to work in the nonprofit cultural sector, and never once have I considered doing anything else.

Open Meetings Act Update

In late January, Representative John Damoose (District 107) introduced House Bill 5689 which will update Section 3a (MCL 15.263a) as amended by 2021 PA 54 of the Open Meetings Act (OMA) to allow cooperative library boards and local library boards to meet virtually if they choose. The bill was referred to the Local Government and Municipal Finance Committee. 

There is a political reality to the passage of this legislation. It should be noted that there have been a number of proposed revisions introduced to the OMA during the past year. None have moved past the introduction since mid-2021 with the political divisions we now see. (Some of these bills are documented in the MLA Bill Tracker on the MLA website.)

MLA Donates $500 to Saginaw Chippewa Tribal Library

At MLA's Spring Institute for Youth Services in Mt. Pleasant, MLA offered a Land Acknowledgement in order to recognize the Anishinaabe people's traditional land we gathered upon -- the land on which the Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe (composed mainly of the Saginaw, Black River and Swan Creek Ojibwe bands) have resided on for over 200 years, and to express our commitment to learning their history. To show our commitment, MLA made a direct donation of $500 to the Saginaw Chippewa Tribal Library. We encourage you to visit our website to read the land acknowledgment and links and resources to learn more about the history and issues of importance to the Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe.

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.