Join open education advocates and supporters for a day of networking, sharing, and learning about the uses of open educational resources (OER) at their institutions. This year's keynote speaker is Jess Mitchell, who will be speaking about Inclusive Design in Education: Breaking Down Barriers to Access.

The MI OER Summit will take place on October 18, 2019 from 9:00 am - 4:00 pm at Delta College in University Center, Michigan. For more information and to register, go to: www.mioersummit.org. 

Michigan State University College of Law
Brent Domann

Walden University
Susanna Davidsen

 

In a few short weeks our campuses will be a-buzz with new activity, and let me start by wishing everyone a happy new (academic) year for 2019-2020. I also want to wish MiALA and its members a happy 5^th anniversary.  In a short time we have accomplished many great professional development and service opportunities. It has been an exciting five years and I’m looking forward to what this year brings.
           
On August 6, 2019, our board, committee chairs, IGCC, and IG leadership will gather to reflect on how far we have come and to envision what will happen this coming year. I am sure all of our leaders will continue to provide exciting professional development, enriched learning, and topical conversations to all of its membership. And I look forward to hearing what they plan to offer during the retreat.
 
Lastly, I want to thank you, the members of MiALA. Without your hard work and dedication we wouldn’t have come as far as we have. In the past five years we have grown into an active organization full of energy and excitement. Thank you for making MiALA what it is.                                                                      

What are you currently reading?
It's been difficult to make time for reading as I have a three year old daughter (Rachel) who tends to distract me from things that require concentration :) I tend to read magazine articles (Real Simple is my go-to) when I have a few minutes to spare. I love memoirs and other non-fiction works as I love to learn about people and why/how they are the way they are. I have been working on Howard Stern's new book (Howard Stern Comes Again). I think that he is one of the greatest interviewers of all time and am enjoying his take on some of his favorite interviews.

Do you have hobbies or interests outside of the library?
I love to crochet. It's a great way to calm down after a stressful, busy day. I like to find new patterns on ravelry (if you are also on ravelry, feel free to connect with me. I'm abbysmom312) and create projects to either give away, try to sell on etsy, or (in most cases) store in my spare room. I also enjoy watching documentaries (more of that love to learn about people thing) and comedies on Netflix. I am also an avid Michigan State Spartan sports fan.

What drew you to the library profession?
I began my journey in the library profession as a temporary worker assigned to be the receptionist at a small non-profit organization in Lansing. I had been a temporary office worker for a few years, working at several assignments throughout the Lansing area. I figured that this would be my gig until the next opportunity came around. That was in January 1999 and the organization was the Michigan Library Consortium (MLC). That receptionist job turned into more opportunities throughout the years. I became the training assistant in charge of handing MLC workshop registrations and support, where I got a crash course in what library staff were interested in learning about. I worked my way up and around MLC, then the Midwest Collaborative for Library Services (MCLS) where I learned more about the library community and made many new friends and colleagues. When MiALA was created, they contracted with MCLS for administrative support. I welcomed the opportunity to help get this organization off the ground. In the short five years that MiALA has existed, it has been awesome to watch it grow into the thriving organization that it has become.

What do you value about MiALA?
Though I'm not your typical MiALA member, I value MiALA as a place where academic library staff of all levels and of all institutional types can get together and share their knowledge and experiences with other like-minded people. It is awesome to see, year after year, more projects and events start from an idea all the way to an end product that members find useful in their own libraries. I can't wait to see what the future holds!