Formerly known as the Equity Fund Grant, the Future Pathways Grant was overhauled and updated guidelines were approved by the MLA Board in December 2023. Applications are now open and will be considered for the July 2024 deadline.
MLA Connect Coffee Hour: Getting Involved with the Michigan Library Association!
Thursday, April 15, 2021 10:00 – 11:00 am
The Michigan Library Association is calling all members who want to learn more about getting involved with your state association.
Current MLA volunteers representing some of the various committees and work groups will be present to talk about their experience as a volunteer and answer questions from the audience.
Whether you’re new to MLA, or a seasoned professional, there are lots of ways for everyone to be involved. It is through the hard work of our volunteers that we are able to further our advocacy efforts, plan our events, honor our award-winning library workers, and select our top picks of the best books for youth.
The American Library Association (ALA) Executive Board announced that Leslie Burger has been selected as Interim Executive Director. Her first day was November 15, 2023.
Congressman Sander Levin Named 2018 MLA Heart of a Champion
MLA is pleased to announce Congressman Sander Levin is the winner of the MLA 2018 Heart of a Champion Award. The award, established in 2012, recognizes a library supporter who has shown an exceptional commitment to libraries and the library profession through continued advocacy, supporting or providing funding for the local library, or continued support of Michigan Library Association activities.
MLA is a little organization. Not in terms of our mission, but in terms of our size. With only five staff members and a budget normally under $1M, we are considered small in the nonprofit and association world. And while we may be small, we are MIGHTY, and, we THINK BIG!
Where do we get inspiration to be mighty? Rather than viewing resource constraints (like our budget and staff size) as limitations, small organizations like MLA find our strength in articulating our entrepreneurial spirit. MLA thrives on innovation, on instituting creative ideas, on listening to the needs of our members, on knowing our own limited capacity and taking calculated risks. Big thinking often involves stepping out of our comfort zone.
MLA actually draws inspiration from all sorts of organizations, especially larger organizations to achieve our goals. For us, the key to “thinking big” lies not in mimicking larger organizations but in molding and shaping many of their successful programs into our unique, small organization. We look for cost-effective ways to implement those big ideas without compromising the end result. We are resourceful, finding ways to do more with less and we innovate out of necessity – you can too. Those big organizations, or big libraries, that share big ideas at conferences are always worthwhile to listen to. And while it may not all resonate, if we listen closely, there are always, always, always bits and pieces that can be creatively implemented by smaller organizations. And many times, we will do it better.
MLA Connect Coffee Hour: Getting Involved with the Michigan Library Association!
“Think Big”
