Michigan Academic Library Association - MiALA

02/04/2026

Now open! The application period for MiALA conference scholarships is open until March 1, 2026. Scholarships cover the cost of full conference registration, as well as reimbursement for up to two nights lodging at the conference hotel. Learn more here:

The 2026 MiALA Conference Scholarship Subcommittee is pleased to announce the availability of multiple scholarships to support current MiALA members' attendance at the Annual Conference. The scholarship will cover the cost of full conference registration, as well as reimbursement for up to two night...

09/26/2025

Casual Conversation: Graduate students and library instruction

Graduate students are a unique group of learners developing advanced, highly specialized research skills. Yet, as librarians we cannot assume that they have mastered the basic skills we teach to undergraduates. Also, depending on the program, it may be difficult for faculty to make room for library instruction. Whether you work with graduate students, have been a graduate student yourself, or are just interested in the many ways we can teach information literacy, please join us for this lightly-structured conversation.

We will cover topics such as:
Which research skills do graduate students need help with?
What opportunities do librarians have to reach grad students?
How can librarians promote library instruction to faculty who work with grad students?

URL for further information and registration:

Graduate students are a unique group of learners developing advanced, highly specialized research skills. Yet, as librarians we cannot assume that they have mastered the basic skills we teach to undergraduates. Also, depending on the program, it may be difficult for faculty to make room for library....

08/29/2025

Joint Letter Urging Congress to Fund IMLS

MiALA joined a coalition of associations representing Michigan’s libraries, museums, and historical societies and sent a joint letter to Congressional leaders urging them to support funding the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) in FY 2026.

Without IMLS support, schools, libraries, historical organizations, universities, and community colleges would face major challenges in sustaining these programs, especially those with limited local funding. The economies of scale that make these statewide services affordable would disappear. For example, the current cost of MeL database subscriptions statewide is $2,481,885 annually. If each institution were to purchase those resources independently, the total cost would skyrocket to $66,910,870. Michigan residents depend on these programs for education, career development, and access to reliable information. Continued federal funding through IMLS is essential to ensuring equal access for all.

MLA and a coalition of associations representing Michigan’s libraries, museums, and historical societies have sent a joint letter to Congressional leaders urging them to support funding the Institute of Museum and Library Services in FY 2026.

08/04/2025

Immediate Advocacy Action to Protect Funding for MeL/MelCat

As the Advocacy Committee prepares to kick off what we expect to be a very active year politically this Fall, we are writing today to share an immediate action you can take today to support federal funding for IMLS. We strongly encourage members who live in the Second District of Michigan, represented by Congressman John Moolenaar, to reach out directly to his office and communicate the importance of IMLS funds. John Moolenaar is on the Appropriations Committee, and Congress will consider library funding in September, which gives us time to advocate now.

Please see the sample text below to use when contacting John Moolenaar, adapted from ALA’s IMLS Advocacy campaign. We encourage you to add personal anecdotes to showcase the impact of IMLS funding on your library. For members not represented by Moolenaar, we encourage joining ALA’s Advocacy efforts to protect IMLS funding.

Call Script:
Hi, my name is [YOUR NAME] and I’m a constituent from [YOUR ADDRESS] and I’m calling to urge Representative John Moolenaar to support libraries and protect the Institute of Museum and Library Services.

On March 14, President Trump issued an executive order to eliminate I-M-L-S. If this order is allowed to stand, it will hurt millions of Americans who rely on our libraries. A June 2025 poll from the Michigan Library Association shows that 79% of respondents approve of Michigan libraries’ work, up from 71% in 2023. I-M-L-S makes a real difference for Americans every day. In Michigan, I-M-L-S funding supports programs such as MeL and MelCat, which increase access to information for Michiganders and allow our academic libraries to connect students with resources that support their learning.

I urge you to overturn the executive order and continue funding for I-M-L-S in the next fiscal year.

Email Script:
Subject: Protect the Institute of Museum and Library Services

Dear Representative John Moolenaar,
As your constituent, I urge you to oppose the White House's attempt to dismantle the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), the only federal agency that ensures every community has access to library funding.

Despite libraries (of all types) receiving only 0.003% of the federal budget, libraries provide free, impartial resources that serve everyone. Eliminating IMLS would be a devastating blow to essential community services. A June 2025 poll from the Michigan Library Association of over 800 voters in Michigan shows that 79% of respondents approve of Michigan libraries’ work, up from 71% in 2023. IMLS makes a real difference for Americans every day. In Michigan, IMLS funding supports programs such as MeL and MelCat, which increase access to information for Michiganders and allow our academic libraries to connect students with resources that support their learning.

I oppose any effort to defund IMLS and urge you to use your position in Congress to protect IMLS funding in the next fiscal year. Please protect our libraries at the federal level.

Sincerely.
[Your Name]
[Your Address]

Thank you,
MiALA Advocacy Committee

05/05/2025

CFP for ACRL Publication

We invite chapter proposals for the forthcoming ACRL publication, Flourishing in the Academic Library: A Framework for Fostering Student Belonging, Confidence, and Connection, which addresses student flourishing, specifically the concepts of belonging, confidence, and connectedness.

To learn more, please visit https://studentflourishing.my.canva.site/

Submit your proposal via this Google form or by emailing the editors at [email protected] by June 2, 2025.

Please contact the editors at [email protected] if you have any questions.

04/24/2025

Reminder: The 2025 MiALA Annual Conference is just a month away!
Register now!

We welcome everyone interested in Michigan Academic Libraries to join
us in Flint from May 18-20, 2025! Please visit the conference website
to register for the conference, view the schedule, and get details on
lodging options: https://miala.org/annual_conference_2025.php.

If you plan to attend the Health Sciences Pre-conference on May 18,
you will also need to register at the MHSLA website:
https://mhsla.wildapricot.org/event-6059132.

If you have any questions regarding the conference, please reach out
to us by emailing [email protected].

04/11/2025

Detroit Institute of Arts Visit and Tour

The MiALA Fine Arts Interest Group would like to invite you to join us for a visit to the Detroit Institute of Arts on Friday, May 2. This visit will include a private tour of the Research Library and Archives, time to explore the museum, and a complimentary lunch at the Kresge Court (located in the museum). This is a free event, including lunch and entry to the museum for the afternoon/evening.

We are limited to 25 attendees for this event. If you are interested in attending, please sign up for the event by Sunday, April 19 to reserve your spot: https://forms.office.com/r/2xj16XVK36

For a full itinerary of the day's schedule, see below:
1:30 PM - Meet at the DIA's Kresge Court for a complimentary lunch
3:00 PM - Tour of the Research Library + Archives
4:00 PM - Explore the museum

03/14/2025

Join us at Michigan State Libraries for this valuable symposium.

03/05/2025

Symposium on Reparative Description in Library Catalogs

Registration for the Symposium on Reparative Description in Library Catalogs is now open! Please note, registration will be capped at 80 participants, so if you are interested, please register ASAP. Although there isn’t a deadline for registration, we can only guarantee lunch if you register by March 24th. If you register and cannot attend, please cancel your registration through our registration form.

Description of event
As library communities grapple with legacy practices to describe peoples and cultures in our resources, a common call to action by marginalized groups has been ringing out: “Nothing about us without us.” We invite you to join us in learning how Indigenous cultural heritage professionals have worked to elevate indigenous ways of knowing in library description and classification practices. There will also be time devoted to learning from library workers on how they address harmful language in their catalogs, as well as strategizing on how the library community can come together to reflect, make changes, and continue learning. We hope you can join us!

Call for lightning talks
We are also excited to open a call for lightning talks! We invite volunteers to present lightning talks on projects and initiatives they've undertaken to do reparative description work in their library catalogs and organizational systems. To learn more and/or volunteer, please check out our lightning talk proposal form!

Thank you for your interest in our event! We hope to see you there!

URL for further information

The MSU Libraries will offer a symposium on reparative description in library catalogs on Tuesday, April 1, 2025. As library communities grapple with legacy practices to...

01/07/2025

Call for Presentations ends this Friday, January 10