Call Your Legislators and Urge Them to Support Library Funding in the Michigan FY2026 Budget!

Last week, the Michigan House of Representatives approved an omnibus budget bill, HB 4706, for fiscal year 2026. Now with less than a month before a signed state budget is due, the budget process is entering its final, most critical phase: reconciling major differences in Michigan's budget across Chambers and the Governor’s office. 

In June, the House’s spending plan for the Michigan Department of Education (MDE), which includes funding for the Library of Michigan, HB 4576, passed without a line item for the Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA). LSTA funds are federal dollars provided annually to the Library of Michigan by the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS).

If the final version of the state budget does not include an LSTA line item, the Library of Michigan cannot spend federal funds already awarded and earmarked for critical statewide programs like the Michigan eLibrary (MeL) and the Michigan eLibrary Catalog (MeLCat).

Despite MLA’s advocacy to House Appropriation Chairs over the summer urging them to include the LSTA line item, the MDE budget has been stalled in negotiations as part of the broader state budget impasse. 

Michigan’s legislature returned to work today and will spend the next several weeks in intense negotiations. Now is the time to contact your Senators and Representatives and urge them to add the LSTA line item back into the MDE budget! 

Call Your Legislators

As a constituent, your voice matters most to your locally elected officials. We encourage you to make a personal call to both your Representative's and Senator's offices TODAY. 

• Urge them to voice support for the LSTA line item in a final state budget. 
• Encourage them to talk to appropriations leadership about the importance of this funding.
• Highlight that this $5.6 million of federal money supports widely used programs like MeL and MeLCat, which provide a $26.96 return on investment for every $1 spent.
• Remind them of the widespread support across Michigan: 78% of respondents in a recent statewide poll said that IMLS funding from the federal government should remain as part of the federal budget, and Michigan can only access those funds if the LSTA line item is included in the state budget.

Without the ability to spend allocated IMLS dollars, vital statewide programs like MeL and MeLCat are at serious risk. In 2024, MeLCat loaned over 1 million items between nearly 400 participating libraries in every corner of the state. Also in 2024, MeL – which includes 75+ databases that provide homework help, workforce skills, training, eBooks, and more – saw 19.2 million articles accessed by Michiganders. These programs provide a hard return on investment of $26.96 for every $1 spent.

The statewide poll commissioned by MLA in June 2025 gives us a clear picture of public support for continued IMLS funding: 78% of respondents said that IMLS funding from the federal government should remain as part of the federal budget. While the Library of Michigan received notice of full federal funding through the state fiscal year 2026, Michigan’s legislature must first approve a budget allocating those dollars to the appropriate state department.

We have a very short window to act. Please share this message with your colleagues, trustees, and other library advocates. Your voice is essential in communicating the importance of including the LSTA line-item in the MDE budget! Legislators pay attention to voters in their district. We encourage you to make a personal call to both your Representative's and Senator's offices TODAY. 

Find your Michigan State legislators and their contact information on the websites of the Michigan House and Senate:

Find Your Michigan State Senator

Find Your Michigan State Representative 

Thank you for taking action to support Michigan’s libraries. Your outreach to Representatives and Senators is critical to influencing the budget process—your emails and phone calls can make a difference. 

October is Michigan Library Appreciation Month

Libraries are where curiosity meets opportunity, where questions turn into discoveries, and where every Michigander can explore, learn, and connect with their community. This October, during Michigan Library Appreciation Month and MI Right to Read Week (October 5–11), we are excited to honor Michigan libraries and library staff with the 2025 theme: “Find Out.”

MLA Celebrates 134 Year Anniversary

As Michigan’s oldest and largest library association, MLA has been championing Michigan libraries for 134 years. Our story began in 1891, when Mary A. Eddy (a librarian at Coldwater Free Public Library) wrote to Detroit’s Henry M. Utley about forming a statewide library association. The first MLA meeting took place on September 1, 1891, in Detroit with just 37 members – enough librarians to elect five officers and even print their 40-line constitution on a tiny 3-inch by 6-inch card! From those humble beginnings, MLA has grown into a community of thousands of librarians, volunteers, and library supporters across the state.

Chapter & Verse: Storytime from the Stacks New Episode

Check out the latest episode of Chapter & Verse: Community First - Strengthening Services in a Resource-Limited Library.

In this episode, hosts Dillon Geshel and Kate Pohjola Andrade welcome Mary Gallup, Director of the Clinton Township Public Library, who shares her inspiring path from stay-at-home mom to library leader. Mary reflects on the community connections that sparked her career, the creative programs and advocacy efforts that have shaped her tenure, and the realities of serving a small library with limited resources. The conversation dives into navigating political and township dynamics, championing intellectual freedom, and embracing the evolving role of libraries as vital community hubs.

House Budget Advances Without IMLS Line Item

On Tuesday, August 26, the Michigan House of Representatives approved a budget spending bill for fiscal year 2026. Despite MLA’s advocacy to House Appropriation Chairs over the summer, the chamber’s spending plan does not include a line item for the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS). If a final version of the state budget does not include an IMLS line item, it will preclude the Library of Michigan from spending federal funds already awarded and earmarked for funding popular statewide programs like the Michigan eLibrary (MeL) and the Michigan eLibrary Catalog (MeLCat).

Note From Dillon

As we near the end of the season, Michigan’s Congressional leaders will return to work in Washington after Labor Day. Over the summer, MLA and other organizations supporting libraries have sent communications to Congress, urging them to support federal funding for libraries. Before their August recess, the U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee included a small increase and level funding for library programs. Now we need to remind the U.S. House of Representatives to follow suit.