THINK SPACE

Designed by library directors for library directors.

Being the director or dean of a library, regardless of size or type, is a unique job with unique needs that often only another person in that position can fully comprehend or appreciate. Designed to meet the unique professional development needs of Michigan library directors, Think Space will showcase innovations in key areas of library management, leadership, and technology via compelling and cutting-edge sessions presented by well-respected experts, all while giving attendees the opportunity to build deep, lasting relationships with a cohort of directors and deans of libraries throughout Michigan.

Think Space: Holding True to Our Values and Staying Strong

Each year, Think Space will focus on one specific issue of importance to Michigan library leaders. Our second iteration of this program will focus on “Holding True to our Values and Staying Strong.”

We will cover topics such as:

First Amendment issues and the values libraries hold
Telling your library’s story and demonstrating your value
Developing plans to respond to the culture wars
Self-care and mental well-being of staff members
Instilling confidence as you continue this hard work

Think Space is an all-inclusive educational and networking experience including four full days of learning, two overnight hotel stays, meals, fun special events, and the opportunity to build deeper, lasting relationships with other directors and deans of libraries throughout Michigan. Join your colleagues for time to THINK deeply in a safe SPACE. Attendance is limited so reserve your seat today! Speakers Include:

Speakers Include:

Alison Macrina
Founder & Executive Director, Library Freedom Project

Alison is an activist librarian and the director of Library Freedom Project. Alison started LFP in 2015 to build community with other librarians who are dedicated to library values of privacy, intellectual freedom, social responsibility, and the public good. She works from a justice orientation, rooted in a materialist analysis that emphasizes people’s real-life conditions, recognizing the systems responsible for oppression and their inherent contradictions.

Rob Boston
Senior Adviser; Editor, Americans United for Separation of Church and State

Rob Boston is Senior Adviser at Americans United for Separation of Church and State and Editor of Church & State, AU’s monthly membership magazine. Rob, who has worked at Americans United since 1987, is the author of four books: Close Encounters with the Religious Right: Journeys into the Twilight Zone of Religion and Politics (Prometheus Books, 2000); The Most Dangerous Man in America? Pat Robertson and the Rise of the Christian Coalition (Prometheus Books, 1996); Why the Religious Right Is Wrong About Separation of Church and State (Prometheus Books, 1993; second edition, 2003) and, most recently, Taking Liberties: Why Religious Freedom Doesn’t Give You The Right To Tell Other People What To Do (Prometheus Books, 2014).

Jonathan Friedman
Director, Free Expression and Education Programs, PEN America

Jonathan Friedman, Ph.D., is the director of free expression and education programs at PEN America. He oversees research, advocacy, and education related to academic freedom, educational gag orders, book bans, and general free expression in schools, colleges, and universities. An interdisciplinary scholar by training, Friedman has served as lead author on PEN America’s reports, Banned in the USA: The Growing Movement to Censor Books in Schools (2022), Banned in the USA: Rising School Book Bans Threaten Free Expression and Students’ First Amendment Rights (2022), Educational Gag Orders: Legislative Restrictions on the Freedom to Read, Learn, and Teach (2021), and Chasm in the Classroom: Campus Free Speech in a Divided America (2020). He also steered the production of PEN America’s Campus Free Speech Guide (2020). He regularly provides commentary for news media about educational censorship, and has published op-eds for CNN, The Washington Post, The Hill, The Daily Beast, New York Daily News, and Inside Higher Ed.

Nathan Triplett
President, ACLU of Michigan Board of Directors

Nathan Triplett serves as Director of Public Policy and Government Affairs for the State Bar of Michigan. For over 15 years, he has worked in and around state and local government as an attorney, organizer, policy advocate, and elected official. He previously served as Minority Legal Counsel for the Michigan House of Representatives and as the Director of Public Policy and Political Action at Equality Michigan. At EQMI, Triplett spearheaded a successful, first-in-the-nation campaign to secure an interpretive statement from the Michigan Civil Rights Commission establishing that discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity is encompassed within the state’s existing statutory prohibition of sex discrimination. Triplett served on the East Lansing City Council for eight years. He was elected to serve as the city's youngest Mayor in 2013 and as President of the Michigan Municipal League. Triplett joined the ACLU of Michigan’s Board of Directors in 2012 and was elected President in 2020. He also serves as Chair of the Capital Area Transportation Authority Board of Directors, as a commissioner of both the Tri-County Regional Planning Commission and Ingham County Parks and Recreation Commission, and as Vice President of the MML Foundation. He is a graduate of Michigan State University's James Madison College with degrees in Political Theory/ Constitutional Democracy and Social Relations. He also holds a Master of Public Policy degree from the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy at the University of Michigan and a Juris Doctor from the MSU College of Law.

Amanda Jones
President, Louisiana Association of School Librarians

Amanda Jones is the current President of the Louisiana Association of School Librarians and the winner of the 2019 LLA James O Modisette Award for top middle school library programming in Louisiana. She is a 2021 Library Journal Mover & Shaker, the 2021 SLJ Co-Librarian of the Year, the 2020 Louisiana School Librarian of the Year, the 2019 LACUE State Middle/Junior Teacher of the Year, and the 2019 Social Media Superstar Program Pioneer for the American Association of School Librarians. In addition to being a member of the Louisiana Young Readers’ Choice Awards 6-8 Committee for the Louisiana State Library, she is the AASL Chapter Assembly Secretary and the AASL23 National Conference Co-Chair. In 2021, she joined the Advisory Council of the South Carolina College of Information and Communication's Online Ready program for school librarians and has been featured six times on the School Librarians United podcast. She has the best job in the world and has enjoyed making our school library the heart of the school.

Arlan Meekhof
Michigan State Senate Majority Leader 2015-2018

State Sen. Arlan Meekhof was elected to serve the 30th Senate District in November 2010. Unanimously elected by his Republican colleagues, he served as Majority Leader for the 2015-2018 term.

Prior to becoming a senator, Meekhof served four years in the 89th District for the Michigan House of Representatives. During that time, he was appointed assistant leader in January 2009.

Meekhof previously served on the Olive Township Board of Trustees, where he was both a trustee and township supervisor. He was responsible for the daily operations of Olive Township, one of the fastest growing communities in Ottawa County.

Bernie Porn
President, EPIC-MRA

Bernie Porn is the president of EPIC-MRA, a Lansing-based survey research firm with decades of polling experience on a variety of topics to help guide campaigns for candidates, millages, bond proposals and other political advocacy. Porn was raised in Flushing, attended Mott Community and Aquinas colleges and worked in the Michigan House of Representatives for 19 years — including a stint as the House communications director from 1990 to 1992.

Bob Devries

Mr. DeVries served for 10 years as Chief of Staff to Senator Arlan Meekhof, the Republican Senate Majority Leader. During his time in the legislature, he managed many difficult legislative issues and became one of Lansing’s leading experts on the legislative process. Bob has his bachelor’s degree in political science from Grand Valley State University and his law degree from Thomas M. Cooley Law School.

Ron French
Bridge Michigan

Ron manages Bridge’s internship program and guest commentary, and reports on a variety of subjects across the state. Ron came to Bridge in 2011 from The Detroit News, where he was a project reporter. Born and raised in Indiana, Ron graduated from Purdue University. He reported for newspapers across Indiana before moving to Michigan in 1995. Ron lives in Okemos, and like the true Michigander he’s become, he now has a family cabin Up North.

Registration

Early Bird Rates:

Member: $1,595
Non-member: $3,190

Upcoming Deadlines:

Early Bird Registration: November 4, 2022
Library of Michigan Continuing Education Stipend Application: September 30, 2022
MLA Scholarship: November 4, 2022
Hotel Reservation: November 7, 2022
Registration Closes: December 1, 2022, or when class is full

The Think Space cohort will meet in person this December for the first two-day gathering, followed by a virtual check-in session in February, the second gathering in May, and concluding with a breakfast reception during the MLA 2023 Annual Conference that is exclusively for members of the Think Space cohort.

Registration includes all educational sessions, breakfasts, lunches, receptions, special events, parking, and overnight accommodations in Grand Rapids and Boyne City.

Schedule

Subject to change

Amway Grand Plaza, Grand Rapids
Thursday December 8, 2022
12:00 – 5:00 Think Space Sessions
6:00 – 9:00 Evening Group Activity
Friday December 9, 2022
8:00 – 4:00 Think Space Sessions

Boyne Mountain Resort, Boyne City
Thursday, May 11, 2023
12:00 – 5:00 Think Space Sessions
6:00 – 10:00 Reception and Bonfire
Friday, May 12, 2023
8:00 – 4:00 Think Space Sessions

Radisson Plaza Hotel, Kalamazoo
Thursday, October 19, 2023
8:00 – 9:00 Think Space Breakfast

Register

Why Should You Attend Think Space?

Throughout my career, I’ve always searched for educational opportunities to heighten my professional skills. I looked for learning opportunities in librarianship and outside the field. I found out that attending these events had the added value of developing a network of professionals. After the sessions, I would take the time to network with other attendees. I would specifically reach out to attendees who made comments in the sessions that intrigued me. In the safe environment of the hallway or a food court, I could delve deep into issues with my new friend.

I believe Think Space will be a great opportunity for the library leader looking for advanced training. The ability to have cutting-edge training in an environment where it is safe to talk. Think Space will be designed with a cohort so, the opportunity is there for discussions on topics into the future.

Kelly Richards
Director, Muskegon Area District Library

I think participation in Think Space is critical for the advancement of public library service and library service generally. There is a well-tread cliché that steel sharpens steel. I have found this to be true. While the Michigan library community is chock full of extraordinary minds and innovative thinkers, it is useful to see what best practices and cutting-edge innovation looks like in other parts of the country and within other industries. I think conference participation is fantastic, and I truly enjoy connecting with my colleagues around the state. However, I’ve found myself in the last couple of years struggling to find inspiration. I think the endless variations and direction on common themes help us grow and refine library service, but seeing and hearing what is happening outside of our home turf will act as a booster rocket and lift the entire library community. Our experience with out-of-industry conferences and retreats has been transformative and has helped KDL stay on the cutting edge. It is for all of these reasons that I highly recommend attendance in Think Space. It is the antidote for complacency and burnout. I can’t wait to begin!

Lance Werner
Director, Kent District Library

In her latest book Dare to Lead: Brave Work. Tough Conversations, Whole Hearts, Brené Brown shares the importance of creating spaces in which people can show up as their authentic selves. She emphasizes the need to create spaces in which people feel “safe, seen, heard, and respected.” As library directors, we need to cultivate a culture that invites vulnerability, creativity, and diverse perspectives.

I can think of no better way to develop this culture of learning, visioning, and supportive collaboration than Think Space. Gathering with fellow library directors in a space that encourages us to bring our whole selves, grapple with today’s challenges, and imagine the future of public libraries is vital to growing as leaders. I look forward to participating in Think Space and using that experience to better serve my library team and community.

Heather Wood-Gramza
Director, Howard Miller Library and Community Center

I have been so inspired by my colleague, MLA President Kelly Richards, and his vision for professional development for experienced library leaders. Kudos to MLA for listening and meeting this need—I am excited to see Think Space come together, and I cannot wait to attend.

As library leaders, we know our communities—including our library users and our library employees—rely on us to serve them with competence and caring, inspire them with fresh ideas and vision, and leverage our networks to ensure our library is the best it can be. As Kelly observed, when you are a library leader, it is the message that brings us together—our library size and type rarely matter. Think Space was inspired by conversations with Class 4-6 public library leaders, but the issues and opportunities Think Space is designed to address are relevant to all library leaders. This new professional development option is a tremendous opportunity for library leaders from libraries of all sizes and classifications to grow together, build community, and learn from some of the best thinkers in our profession and beyond. We are #strongertogether!

Speaking personally, I have the good fortune to work in the heart of Detroit at the University of Detroit Mercy, Michigan’s largest Catholic university, and the only university in the world that combines the centuries-old commitment to education shared by the Society of Jesus and the Religious Sisters of Mercy. Our Jesuit and Mercy founders urge us to consider moral and ethical issues as we pursue our academic and vocational goals and to foster competent, compassionate leaders ready to serve a vulnerable world. My experience at Detroit Mercy has taught me that rest, reflection, and good companionship are essential in carrying out this important work. Think Space offers the opportunity I need to retreat, reflect, and engage so that I can be ready to serve our students and faculty and all those who rely on me with competence and compassion. I look forward to engaging with you in MLA’s Think Space.

Jennifer L. Dean – PhD, MLIS
Dean of Libraries, University of Detroit Mercy

As directors of public libraries, we can sometimes feel isolated in our positions because of the level of involvement required at our libraries. It’s difficult for our staff to understand the duties, obligations and organizational approach that is required of us as directors. One thing I’ve found beneficial to help with this feeling of isolation is talking and collaborating with other directors from around Michigan. Through talking with all of you, I find that I’m not the only one dealing with a specific problem or approach to library services or staffing, and you have ideas and solutions that I can take back to my library.

For professional development, when attending national conferences, I can piece together sessions that help me as a director. But, having a structured event like the “Think Space”, with sessions that are specific to our roles as directors, is what makes this event truly unique. After the past two years that required so much of us as directors, I am looking forward to this event which will allow me to reconnect and reenergize in my role as a director. I hope to see you there because we’ll all benefit from having a wide range of directors from around the state attend.

Scott Duimstra
Executive Director, Capital Area District Libraries

Being the director of a library—regardless of size—is a unique job with unique needs that often only another person in that position can fully comprehend or appreciate. Having a safe space for formal and informal networking opportunities to get support, advice and at times brutally honest feedback from my peers has been critical to my career success. I am very much looking forward to attending MLA’s new Think Space to become part of a learning and motivational cohort of library directors that will provide professional development and inspiration along with encouragement and collaboration to make meaningful, positive change in me and my library for the future.