New Podcast Debuting in November

What can happen when a few very creative individuals sit around a table with a glass of wine and a good idea? At the PLA Conference in Columbus this past spring, we found out. One of the coop directors, a few library directors, and MLA staff were enjoying conversation when they hit upon a great idea for a joint project that would be fun and inspiring – a monthly podcast celebrating the lives of library workers throughout Michigan. For the past 6 months, MLA and the Library Cooperatives of Michigan have been working together to plan and prepare for a grand debut of Chapter and Verse on November 14, 2024.

MLA Statements of Principle

For the past year, MLA’s Intellectual Freedom Task Force has been focused on refining our commitment to censorship challenges in our public libraries. We have found that we needed talking points to counter questions and concerns about age appropriateness and about rating and labeling systems. Over the course of the past two months, the task force, the Advocacy and Legislative Committee and the MLA Board have been workshopping these statements of principle that outline our stance when it comes to these challenges. These are statements that have been molded and shaped into shared messaging that reinforces our library values of protecting intellectual freedom for every citizen of Michigan.

Statement of Principle on Book Rating Systems and Labelling in Public Libraries (pdf)

Statement of Principle on Age Appropriateness and Placement of Materials in Public Libraries (pdf)

Think Space Registration Opens Soon

Join the 2024-2025 cohort and experience what makes Think Space a transformative journey for library leaders! Now in its fourth year, MLA’s Think Space is designed to help library directors thrive—both as workplace and community leaders. This year’s focus is on sustaining personal well-being and supporting those around you, all while adapting to evolving challenges.

Since 2021, Think Space has provided a unique forum where library directors and cooperative directors across Michigan come together to engage deeply in issues that matter to our profession. More than just a learning opportunity, it’s a space for meaningful connection—where conversations spill out of formal sessions and continue in hallways, on porches, or even around the bonfire. 

New Podcast Debuting in November

What can happen when a few very creative individuals sit around a table with a glass of wine and a good idea? At the PLA Conference in Columbus this past spring, we found out. One of the coop directors, a few library directors, and MLA staff were enjoying conversation when they hit upon a great idea for a joint project that would be fun and inspiring – a monthly podcast celebrating the lives of library workers throughout Michigan. For the past 6 months, MLA and the Library Cooperatives of Michigan have been working together to plan and prepare for a grand debut of Chapter and Verse on November 14, 2024.

Hosted by the Michigan Library Association and the Library Cooperatives of Michigan, Chapter and Verse: Storytime from the Stacks features dedicated Michigan library workers and their inspiring stories. Each episode welcomes a library worker from one of Michigan's 11 cooperative regions to share their most interesting and inspiring experiences.New episodes will premiere on the second Thursday of each month.

MLA Strategic Planning Starts Soon

This fall, MLA will begin developing a new strategic direction and 3-year plan for our work to educate, advocate, and engage libraries and library workers throughout Michigan. Since 2019, MLA has been working with a healthy and robust rolling plan that is updated annually and has served us well over the past 6 years.  It is now time to gather more input, check in with our members, and re-engage our key stakeholders. As our newly contracted planning consultants state in their proposal, “After the uncertainty of the last several years and recent threats to libraries across the country, it’s a good time to celebrate success, assess what’s working, deepen members connections, and set a course for the next three plus years.” We are excited to get started. 

Note From Debbie

September 26, 2024

Stronger together! That was the uniting message coming out of Washington DC this past week at the National Summit on Intellectual Freedom for 150 librarians, library association executives, representatives from the ACLU, NCAC, PFLAG, publishers, authors, the Obama Foundation, booksellers, Red Wine & Blue, advocates, and so many others. MLA was honored to have been invited, not only to represent our members and association but also to represent the International Council for Library Association Executives (ICLAE) that we are a part of.  

For over three years, since the beginning of the culture wars that have put our First Amendment Rights through unprecedented challenges, those invited to attend have been on the frontlines guarding and protecting these rights. What we came to realize in our short time together is that we all represent and speak to diverse and unique communities. But, at the end of the day, we all agreed that we must step up TOGETHER, find a common message, fight like hell, and leave egos at the door. We need to acknowledge the hard, exhausting, and daunting work, and that we have to do it anyway.