Welcome New Members!
Michelle Norquist
Kuyper College Zondervan Library
Andy Petersen
Michigan State University
Andrew Lundeen
Michigan State University
Welcome to our latest Institutional members!
MIX Conference 2018 was a success!
More than 50 instructional librarians from around the state connected at the Mott Community College library to attend the Michigan Instruction Library Exchange (MIX) conference on August 17. They heard an energetic and engaging keynote presentation from Dr. Reva Curry, Vice President of Instruction and Learning Services at Delta College on Emerging Relationships between College Librarians, Faculty, Staff, and Administration. The conference then focused on a panel discussion on successful connection experiences and concluded with six breakout sessions. For more information and to view presentation materials along with photos, go to the MIX Conference page.
Thank you to the Instruction and Information Literacy Interest Group and staff of the Mott Community College Library for planning & hosting this conference.
Members - Time to update your information
After an all-too-short summer, the MiALA year is just starting to ramp up. Now is the perfect time to log into your member profile and:
- Make sure that your contact information is up-to-date
- Upload a profile photo
- Review your Section and Interest Group subscriptions
Also, take the time to “white list” emails from @miala.org and @memberleap.com in your email client(s) to ensure that you receive important messages from MiALA. Lastly, if you haven’t done so already, time is running out to renew your 2018-2019 membership. Those who have not renewed by Sept. 30 will have their membership canceled. Having trouble logging in? Contact heather@miala.org for help. |
Member Spotlight
Jeff Lash
Web and Theological Services Specialist
Cornerstone University
I am a Hoosier at heart but currently reside in the beautiful city of Grand Rapids. I have a B.A. in Christian Studies from Union University and an M.A. in New Testament from Grand Rapids Theological Seminary. I am a lifelong learner as evidenced by the fact that I can’t stop going back to school. Case in point, I am currently half-way through my MLIS program at Valdosta State University. I am married to my favorite musician and we have two fun-loving, high-energy, pre-K boys. As a result of having young boys, I am well versed in the arts of wrestling, animal role-playing, lego building, and all things Wild Kratts.
I have a variety of interests and hobbies which do not get much of my time in this season of life. I love playing and watching sports. I am a big fan of Notre Dame football, Indiana Hoosier basketball, and Swansea City soccer in the UK. I like to play basketball, tennis, golf, and disc golf. I am a board gamer and would like nothing more than to brew a cup of coffee and break out a game of Ticket to Ride. I am an aspiring woodworker and enjoying making things with my hands. Like most librarians, I am an avid reader and generally have several books going at once. I am currently reading You Are What You Love by James K.A. Smith, The Scandal of the Evangelical Mind by Mark Noll, White Awake by Daniel Hill, and After You Believe by N.T. Wright among others.
I have been serving at Cornerstone for just over two years and I have enjoyed every minute of it. Prior to Cornerstone, I spent the majority of my vocational time in pastoral ministry. Why become a librarian then? Easy answer...the books, of course! Isn’t that why we are all here? Honestly though, I was drawn to the library profession because I am passionate about education and helping people discover new and existing avenues for personal and communal growth. A library is a center for knowledge and learning which makes it the ideal work environment for someone like me. It has also afforded me the opportunity to pursue some of my research interests. Those interests include a range of topics such as historical interpretations of Paul’s letters in the Christian Scriptures, education and learning in the early and modern church, theological aesthetics, aesthetics and design in the library, and teaching and learning in the library.
This opportunity at Cornerstone has awakened me to a whole vocational world that I knew little about. Luckily, I have been surrounded by an amazing team of people at Cornerstone who have been willing to guide me and to give me space to learn throughout this journey. I consider myself blessed to be a part of a library team and culture that encourages creativity, collaboration, service, teamwork, and joy in all that we do. I am also thankful for MiALA because it has contributed to the acceleration of my learning curve, provided many opportunities for involvement in the profession more broadly, and introduced me to lots of great people
Upcoming Bylaws Amendments
In the fall of 2017, a task force was formed to determine if the current structure of Sections and Interest Groups works for the good of the association and, if not, submit a proposal for a solution that may better suit the association. This task force has submitted a restructuring proposal that would require changes to the current bylaws. These changes would be subject to a vote of the membership. All members will be receiving an official notice in the next few weeks with the amendments slated for a vote. For more information on these changes, including a link to a FAQ list, check out the 2018 Restructure Proposal page.
MiALA members eligible for member price at ALAO conference
MiALA members are eligible to attend the ALAO annual conference at member rates for early bird registration!!
Register now for the Academic Library Association of Ohio (ALAO) annual conference Take Action: Conveying Value, Cultivating Success: The conference will be held on Friday, November 2 at the Nationwide Hotel and Conference Center in Columbus, OH, with a full day pre-conference on November 1.
The conference has much to offer you!
- A keynote address by Megan Oakleaf
- AND An afternoon plenary by Debra Gilchrist
- 28 breakout sessions from your colleagues in Ohio and surrounding states.
- Posters and Roundtable discussions
The pre-conference will be the ACRL Roadshow Assessment in Action: Demonstrating and Communicating Library Contributions to Student Learning and Success, facilitated by Debra Gilchrist.
Registration is open for the pre-conference and conference.
Rates:
Pre-conference:
$115 ALAO Members
$150 Non ALAO Members
Conference Early Bird (until September 14):
$130 ALAO/MiALA Members
$165 Non ALAO Members
$100 ALAO Student Members/Retirees
Hotel blocks are available at the Nationwide Hotel on Wednesday and Thursday evening. More information about the conference is available at https://www.alaoweb.org/conferences/2018/about.
Registration open for MIUG conference
Registration is now open for the 2018 Michigan Innovative Users Group (MIUG) Annual Conference. The conference will be held at Lansing Community College-West Campus on Friday, September 14, 2018 from 9am to 3:30pm. Registration and continental breakfast will begin at 8:30am.
They have several great sessions planned this year. Topics include Getting Started with Sierra Create Lists and Statistics, Fiscal Close Preparation and Procedures, Electronic Resources Record Loading, Polaris API for INN-Reach with MeLCat, and an updated on the Next Gen Discovery. In addition, they are pleased to have Randy Dykhuis, Executive Director of the Midwest Collaborative for Library Services (MCLS), as our keynote speaker. Randy will be retiring this year after more than 20 years helping Michigan and Indiana libraries in the ever-changing library world. They are glad to have one more opportunity to hear him before he leaves in December.
Early bird registration price of $45 will be available through August 31. Late registration beginning on September 1 will $55.
Registration fees include continental breakfast and lunch. Parking is free.
To register visit http://miug2018.eventbrite.com. For more information about the conference, please visit the MIUG website at miug.org. |
