The Open Educational Resources (OER) Interest group is ready to kick off another year of OER IG programming, and will hold our first meeting on Friday, October 13 at 11 a.m. Please join us as we get to know each other and plan the shape of this year's meetings and events. Your level of experience with OER is no barrier - if you're interested, we welcome you to attend. 

Please register here for the Zoom link. 

 

Bethany Kennedy has been named Dean of Academic Support Services at Oakland Community College. Kennedy joins OCC from Washtenaw Community College, where she held a variety of academic support positions, including interim executive director of the Learning Resources Division and, most recently, the Director of WCC’s Bailey Library. Within MiALA, Kennedy has served on the Board of Directors as a Community College Representative and has been active in the Community College Interest group, as well as other professional organizations. Kennedy will oversee OCC’s ACCESS (Disability Services), testing centers, and libraries in her new role, which she assumed in September.
 

Did you know that October is Michigan Library Appreciation Month? Since 2019 Governor Gretchen Whitmer has annually designated “the month of October as a statewide observance to celebrate the contributions of Michigan's public, school, academic, tribal, cooperative and special libraries.” Follow this link to read and share the official 2023 proclamation.

In that spirit we also seek ways within MiALA to recognize our college and university colleagues. In January 2020 the MiALA Board accepted an invitation from Michigan Library Association Director Debbie Mikula to participate in an expanded awards event and join the Library of Michigan, Library of Michigan Foundation, and the Michigan Association for Media in Education in celebrating excellence in Michigan libraries across the state, as well as library trustees and legislative advocates. An ad-hoc committee comprised of MiALA Board members created the inaugural Academic Librarian of the Year (ALOTY) award. Since October 2020, we have recognized three deserving individuals. However, there was a sense that the committee could benefit from a more diverse membership beyond the Board, as well as a more robust charge. In May our membership approved a by-law amendment to form a standing Awards Committee. The standing committee will not only be tasked with the selection and coordination of the ALOTY award but will allow for the development and promotion of additional awards.

Are you interested in contributing an hour or two for a few months to help us build a process to  recognize excellence within our vocation and organization?  If so, please contact me at dxjohnso@oaklandcc.edu.  We hope to have a kickoff meeting before the end of the month or in early November.

Be good to one another, and know that you and ALL library workers are appreciated by me, every day and month! Darlene Johnson-Bignotti

Planning is underway for the 2024 Annual Conference at the Fetzer Center on the beautiful campus of Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo, May 16-17.  A special reception and downtown dine-around for early arrivals is tentatively scheduled for the evening of May 15.
 
The planning committee will announce the theme in the coming weeks, with a call for proposals to follow in November. If you would like to volunteer for one of many service opportunities, please use this form. As in previous years, you can expect to receive regular information from the committee about scholarships, special hotel conference rates, and important conference registration dates.
 
The planning committee represents academic libraries from around the state and from institutions of various sizes: Aquinas College, Calvin University, Hope College, Ferris State University, MCLS, Michigan State University, and Western Michigan University. If you have questions for the committee or ideas you’d like to share, please email conference@miala.org.
 
See you in Kalamazoo next May!
 

The Instruction & Information Literacy IG is hosting two Casual Conversations this fall. Casual Conversations are Zoom programs that offer friendly, informal opportunities to connect with and learn from each other. IG membership is not required to attend and all are welcome!

Casual Conversation: AI
Wednesday, Oct. 18, 1:00 - 2:00 p.m.
The arrival of generative AI (with chatbots such as ChatGPT and DALL-E) is bringing new challenges and opportunities to higher education. In academic libraries specifically, what impact will AI have on information literacy instruction? Join us as we discuss the ways in which AI will both benefit and disrupt the work we do with students and instructors in the library. All are welcome, AI novices and experts alike.
Hosted by: Amy Brandt, Kalamazoo Valley Community College
Register to get the Zoom link and add to your calendar.

Casual Conversation: Rethinking Evaluation Beyond CRAAP
Wednesday, Nov. 8, 10:00 - 11:00 a.m.
While the CRAAP Test has a memorable name, does it still hold up in today’s information landscape? How do you foster critical thinking and information literacy skills? Join us for a Casual Conversation as we share our methods of teaching source evaluation.
Hosted by: Dylan Juhl, Western Michigan University
Register to get the Zoom link and add to your calendar.
 

This month’s featured resource from the MiALA IDEA Resources for Education and Training list is:

Heffernan, K. (2020). Loaded questions: The Framework for Information Literacy through
a DEI lens. College & Research Libraries News, 81(8). https://doi.org/10.5860/crln.81.8.382

Description: Heffernan provides examples of how the individual frames of the ACRL Framework for Information Literacy can be viewed through the lens of DEI. The author provides helpful questions for each frame, to prompt an analysis of underlying assumptions about power, privilege, and objectivity within the world of information, data, knowledge, and evidence.

As part of the IDEA Committee's continued effort to build a concise, streamlined list of recent articles, books, reports, training resources and toolkits, websites, videos, terminology resources, and online communities related to IDEA, MiALA members are invited to suggest resources. Make your suggestion here.