Michigan Library Association

State of Michigan Budget Updates

On October 1, the FY23 State of Michigan budget will begin and libraries have much to be thankful for.

Note From Debbie

For the past year, MLA has watched irresponsible and egregious legislation introduced in states like Texas, Florida, Missouri, and others, on libraries and book censorship. Yesterday, we acknowledged that we are not immune here in Michigan.

A northern Michigan legislator from Charlevoix Co. Representative Neil Friske (R-107) introduced (with no co-sponsors) House Bill 4136 which would amend the Library Privacy Act and require local public libraries to locate all sexually explicit and obscene material (not defined) in a restricted area of the library and only be accessible to those 18 years or older. Any individual finding the library out of compliance could file a complaint against the governing body of the library in court. If the court finds the library has failed to comply, the court would require the library to close until the violation has been resolved.

MLA Statement on Patmos Library Millage Failure

November 14, 2022

As the November election results were announced, the Michigan Library Association (MLA) was disheartened and saddened to learn that continued funding for the Patmos Library in Jamestown was defeated again. A local tragedy with national implications, the Patmos Library is the only library in the country that has essentially been defunded by the vote of its citizens due to its refusal to comply with censorship. The push to defund the Patmos Library was rooted in objections to one (1) challenged book that was put behind the desk in December 2021 and four (4) challenged books that were returned to their shelves in October. Some members of the community continue to demand that all books containing LGBTQ+ themes be removed, a selection that represents about 90 books, or less than .01% of the library’s collection.

Letter to Legislators and Candidate Outreach

Check out the August edition of our monthly outreach to Michigan Legislators where we continue to educate them on the value of our libraries and the critical role of library staff. Our outreach and advocacy efforts begin even before candidates take office.

Michigan State Budget Cycle

The Michigan state budget supports libraries, education, housing, childcare and healthcare. Most importantly, the state budget supports the people who live here. State budgets can seem very complex, but in reality, it boils down to a plan for spending available resources on the services that Michigan communities need and value. Below is an outline of the year-long Michigan state budget cycle and simple ways for you to help influence and advocate for how these resources are spent.

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