Michigan Supreme Court Strikes Down Gov. Whitmer's COVID-19 Executive Orders - MLA Recommends Libraries Continue to Follow Reopening Plans Currently in Place

October 5, 2020

In light of the Supreme Court ruling late Friday that struck down months of executive orders by Governor Gretchen Whitmer that were aimed at preventing the spread of the coronavirus, the MLA Advocacy and Legislative Committee recommended the following be retained within any new mandates:

Executive Orders: Updates

October 2, 2020

MLA continues to follow the Governor's Executive Orders to monitor their impact on libraries. Here is the status and a short recap of Executive Orders of note to libraries as of October 2, 2020.

Federal Advocacy by ALA – HEROES II Proposal

September 30, 2020

There’s nothing like waiting until the last minute…Congress is expected to take action to avoid a government shutdown tonight at midnight on September 30, 2020. The Senate is scheduled to pass a Continuing Resolution (CR), which will keep the government funded at the current FY20 levels until December 11. The House cleared the bill last week, and the President is expected to sign it later today. This will put the FY21 appropriations discussion after the election in November when Congress returns for a lame-duck session. 

Membership to Vote Online on Bylaw Updates Before 2020 Annual Meeting

September 24, 2020

The Michigan Library Association Board of Directors is recommending changes to the organization’s bylaws. Due to the global pandemic and a virtual annual meeting for 2020, an online vote will take place between Monday, October 5, and October 29 at 2:00 pm. An announcement of the results of the voting will take place at the MLA Annual Meeting on Thursday, October 29 at 2:45 pm. All members eligible to vote based on the current bylaws (organizational members, unaffiliated library directors, and affiliated/unaffiliated individual members) will receive voting instructions via email. All members are encouraged to read the proposed draft of the MLA Bylaws and note the following changes generally and by section.

General corrections include correcting spelling mistakes and making the wording of titles of officers consistent throughout the document. We have also removed all sections and references concerning voting by Proxy.

Letter from Debbie

September 24, 2020

Like many of you, my internal calendar resets and my new year begins when September rolls around. Perhaps it is because the summer is winding down and school begins in earnest. Perhaps it is because of the change in the weather. September has always given me the chance to reflect on accomplishments, to step up my game, and to set new parameters to achieve our goals for the upcoming year.  

A few days ago, I was thinking of how much work we have accomplished, and how much we have added to our plates and taken on since the pandemic. I like to work “proactively”, but the pandemic has most of us working “reactively” and I hate to admit how much of our advocacy work is still not settled, still a bit chaotic – we still have many spinning plates in the air (and who, might I ask, lit them on fire?)

Call for Nominations for 2021 Board Elections

September 24, 2020

MLA has seats to fill and the Nominating and Leadership Development Committee (NLDC), chaired by Past President Kristin Shelley, is looking for interested candidates to fill three at-large seats plus a President-Elect position on the MLA Board of Directors, with terms beginning in July 2021 and ending in June 2024.

Each year in September, the call for nominations for the MLA Board opens. This year we invite each and every one of you that are members of MLA to apply – individuals representing any type of library, any staff position within the library (not just directors), any size and budget, and in any geographic region of Michigan.