Be Part of the Story: Share Your Library Photos

MLA is building a growing photo collection to feature in our social media and communications—and we want your library to be part of it!

Celebrate Michigan Library Appreciation Month

WHEREAS, in October 2025, we celebrate Michigan Library Appreciation Month and MI Right to Read Week, observed October 5-11, with the theme “Find out”—reminding us that libraries are places where curiosity is welcomed, discovery encouraged, and the right to read—and to find out—is protected;

It’s officially Michigan Library Appreciation Month! Help us celebrate Michigan’s excellent libraries and amazing library staff all October long! Follow us on social media, share our posts, and join the fun as we share interactive questions and photo prompts like:

Note From Lisa

Lisa Waskin, MLA 2025 Annual Conference Chair

When I think of a kaleidoscope, I have memories as a child of holding up a tube filled with brightly colored glass or plastic to the light and turning the cylinder so that it created endless combinations of symmetrical colors and shapes. I did not then understand the construction of the device, or how prisms precisely placed created the beautiful shapes. I just knew that it was exciting and special, and no two images seemed to be the same. If you look up the word in Webster’s Dictionary, you will find a very cut and dried definition of the word that is similar to what I remember as a child: an instrument containing loose bits of colored material (such as glass or plastic) between two flat plates and two plane mirrors so placed that changes of position of the bits of material are reflected in an endless variety of patterns.

The Sustainable Libraries Initiative (SLI) & the Sustainable Library Certification Program (SLCP)

by Rebekkah Smith-Aldrich, MLS, LEED AP, co-founder of the Sustainable Libraries Initiative, and executive director of the Mid-Hudson Library System (NY) 

The Sustainable Libraries Initiative (SLI) provides library leaders, which we define as all library workers and trustees, with a proven path forward to co-create libraries and communities that will thrive in the coming years. The Sustainable Library Certification Program and the SLI community of practice focus your leadership to enable your library, and ultimately your community, to become more environmentally sound, socially equitable, and economically feasible.

Chapter & Verse: Storytime from the Stacks New Episode

Check out the latest episode of Chapter & Verse: Literacy and Leadership: Building Community Through Librarianship.

In this episode, hosts Dillon Geshel and Christine Peele sit down with Susan Taylor, Branch Manager of the Edison Branch Library at the Detroit Public Library (DPL). Susan reflects on her two decades in librarianship, beginning with her early experiences in Jamaica and spanning a variety of roles across DPL. She shares powerful moments from her work as a literacy specialist, where she helped adults strengthen their reading skills, and offers insight into the evolving role of libraries in today’s communities. The conversation explores how technology—including AI—may shape the future of public libraries, the importance of listening and adaptability in serving patrons, and Susan’s passion for creating meaningful connections with the community.

Michigan Library Appreciation Month and MI Right to Read Week

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.”