In keeping with my theme of using the season to talk about the organization, we’ve moved into the realm of giving.
MiALA could use your help with giving, by sharing your expertise and interest with other members. In the past few months, the MiALA board has sponsored an exceptional series of requests by our interest groups to put on meetings, workshops, and seminars. If you have a topic where you would like to share with the membership - help us give this to the membership! We have funding to support events via our Interest Groups, and can help with logistics, registration, and many other details. If you’re interested in learning more or have a topic your Interest Group would like to share, please don’t hesitate to reach out at president@miala.org.
In last month’s column I asked for others to share thoughts of gratefulness and wanted to highlight one of the responses. I’m happy to share this with all of you, thank you Tina for sharing your story with all of us!
I wish you all a wonderful holiday season, filled with joy, giving – and hopefully time to think about a program, workshop, or seminar you can champion!
Paul Gallagher
Ten years ago this coming May I started as library director at Northwestern Michigan College and joined a fabulous group of committed and creative librarians. Once I got my filing system set up, had toured the campus and met all the people, I looked around and realized that I was alone. In spite of my excellent NMC colleagues, I was the only community college library director within an 80 mile radius. And I had a million questions.
Today I have a much broader circle of librarian colleagues. I have people to call or email when I have a question about how to deal with a vendor or choose new equipment or make a policy change. I also have an annual conference to go to where I can learn from other librarians and it doesn’t cost an arm and a leg. I have opportunities to share what I’ve learned with my colleagues.
So I am grateful for MiALA and how it has given me a community of community college librarians. It’s so wonderful to be part of an organization that acknowledges and appreciates our work and gives us a space to think and work together.
MiALA has made my work better and easier and a lot more fun. Because hanging out with really smart people is the real reason I became a librarian in the first place.
Tina Ulrich
11/16/18