Michigan Library Association

2023 MLA Equity Fund Grant Recipient

MLA Equity Fund Grants aim to reduce financial barriers to professional development opportunities and support individuals currently underrepresented in the library profession It is our pleasure to announce the recipient of MLA's 2023 Equity Fund Grant!

It is our pleasure to announce Amelia Chea, Adult Services Librarian at the Hackley Public Library in Muskegon has been awarded grant funding.

Congratulations to Amelia for submitting an exceptional individual proposal and being granted funding to attend the Library Learning Experience Conference, LibLearnX hosted by the American Library Association. We are proud to support Amelia's professional development endeavors.

Thank you to MLA's Ambassadors!

MLA is lucky to have so many dedicated professionals step up to serve on our workgroups and committees and be ambassadors of the association. They show commitment to their communities, their libraries, their patrons, the library profession, and the Michigan Library Association every day.

The Miller Test

It is the responsibility of public libraries to guarantee and facilitate access to all expressions of knowledge and intellectual activity, including those which some individuals in our society may consider to be unconventional, unpopular, or unacceptable. As legislation here in Michigan and around the country attempts to ban books and criminalize our library workers, it is critical to know that LIBRARIES DO NOT HAVE OBSCENE MATERIALS ON THEIR SHELVES. It is also equally important to understand why reading a single paragraph or page out of context at a library board meeting is so misleading.

MLA Condemns Lapeer County Prosecutor for Suggesting Criminal Charges Against Library Officials if Book "Gender Queer" Not Removed

The Michigan Library Association stands united with our libraries and library workers to condemn the threats of the Lapeer County prosecutor, John Miller who has stated publicly that he is considering filing criminal charges against the director and officials at the Lapeer Public Library if “Gender Queer: A Memoir”, an LGBTQ-themed graphic novel, isn’t removed from the adult section of the library collection.

Movement on the MLA Board

On Friday, June 8, the current MLA Board met for the June meeting and were joined by our newly elected Board members Michele Howard, Traverse Area District Library, Mary Higginbottom Johnson, Muskegon Area District Library, and Shaunna Martz, Kent District Library, for training and orientation. We had the honor of hosting Thomas Fladung from Hennes Communications for this year's training session. Thomas shared tips and techniques on the best use of social media, speaking with the press and crisis communication planning in the wake of censorship and book-banning efforts.

More Articles...