Letter from Debbie

As the Thanksgiving holiday approaches, I find joy in sitting back and taking just a few minutes to pause and reflect on the work we do together to help libraries and library professionals succeed. Today, I get to send my heartfelt thanks and gratitude to all of you who work in our school, academic, public and special libraries throughout this beautiful state and to say thank you for everything you do to support MLA. But perhaps even more important, I get to say thank you for the work that you are doing locally and within your own environs.

Call for Webinar Proposals

Do you have a great presentation idea that you think would be beneficial to MLA members? Would you like to share your knowledge in a particular subject area? If so, we invite you to submit a proposal for a webinar.

As we look to expand the range and breadth of programming, who better to learn from than you, the library expert? Whatever your position may be, you have a lot of expertise to share that will help others do their work better, smarter and faster.

Perhaps it’s a new service you’re offering at your library that you think others could find helpful. Maybe it’s a program proposal that you have considered giving at the annual conference, but the timing just hasn’t worked out (or you gave it and people asked for more!). Maybe you won a grant or fought hard for an initiative that you want to tell other libraries about so they can go after it too. We want to hear from you!

Macmillan CEO Responds to #ebooksforall Advocates in a Letter to Librarians

Macmillan Publishers CEO, John Sargent has issued a letter in response to #ebooksforall advocates. Beginning November 1, 2019, Macmillan Publisher's eBook embargo will go into effect. The new Macmillan lending policy will allow libraries to purchase only one copy of each new eBook title for the first eight weeks after a book’s release. Advocates have been signing the #ebooksforall petition and contacting Macmillan's CEO to urge Macmillan to abandon this new lending model. On Tuesday, October 29, Macmillan issued a response in a "Letter to Librarians" from CEO John Sargent. Stay tuned for more news on #ebooksforall advocacy. Read the full text of the letter here:

Letter from Debbie

“They say that when one door closes, another opens. I believe that is true. And with all new endeavors, it is always exciting to open a door, see what is inside, and let the fresh air in.”  This was the welcome message I wrote for MLA’s 2019 Annual Conference.  It was all about opening doors and acknowledging, accepting and embracing everyone wherever they are in their life’s journey. I think the MLA staff, board and work group did an outstanding job infusing the values of equity, diversity and inclusion in the three days we spent together.

State Aid and the Library of Michigan Budget

The Governor and the state legislature kept us in suspense about the state budget right down to the deadline – with all being finally adopted on October 1, 2019.  We all breathed a sigh of relief that state aid for libraries and the Library of Michigan budget were generally status quo from the year prior. In a tumultuous environment and budget cycle like FY20, we are thankful that state aid was not touched. Members…rest assured that MLA was watching carefully and ready to react in an instant if anything would have affected the state aid that libraries rely on.  Long-held relationships and daily dialog with leaders in the House and Senate went a long way in protecting these funds. 

MLA Receives Michigan Council for Arts & Cultural Affairs Operational Support Grant

MLA received wonderful news late last week with the passage of the state budget. The Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs (MCACA) announced a series of operational, programmatic and special grant funds totaling close to $10 million for arts and cultural organizations throughout the state.