Welcome New Members!
Grand Valley State University
Johanna Boyle
University of Michigan
Qiyan Ba
Member Spotlight
 Rachel Smith
Assistant Director of Learning Commons
Glen Oaks Community College
What are you currently reading?
Asylum by Madeleine Roux (finished 10 days ago) and A LOT of doctorate topic research!
What are your research interests?
I feel colleges need to take a more proactive role in the rehabilitation and reintegration efforts of county jail inmates (by creating and implementing County Jail Inmate Education Programs, CJIEPs) due to their ability to begin the education and support during incarceration and continue upon the individual's release from confinement as well as legal observation.
Do you have hobbies or interests outside of the library?
Although I do not have time outside of work, school, and my family, I like to be in nature, crochet, listen to music, and anything else that is fun and entertaining.
What drew you to the library profession?
I have always been a "super-nerd," and I love to learn new things along with help others learn the things they desire even when they are not sure success is possible.
What do you value about MiALA?
Mi-ALA not only allows me to let my "nerdy" side shine, but it puts me into contact with resources and connections to help me learn new things and helps others improve their learning experiences as well.
Wanted: Your Member Spotlight!
Have you recently joined MiALA? Even if you’ve been a member for a while, we want to get to know you better! If you are interested in being featured in our monthly MiALA Member Spotlight, simply submit your entry by going to the member spotlight questionnaire. You can also view previously published spotlights on this page.
MiALA Meeting at ACRL
The Membership Committee is gauging interest in having a MiALA members meetup at ACRL next month. If you will be attending ACRL in Minneapolis and are interested in meeting up with other MiALA members, please fill out this brief form.
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Message From the President
Hi all,
By the time you're reading our March newsletter we will have had our All Member Virtual Meeting this past month. I wanted to take a moment to thank everyone who was able to attend the meeting. I’d also like to encourage all who were unable to watch the recording of the meeting. We got valuable updates from a number of our committees and an all important update regarding our Strategic Plan. So if you were unable to attend the meeting please take time to review the recording.
That being said, there is one additional item I wish to share. This year’s Library Advocacy Day is on April 30th. MLA has worked hard to promote this event which might be more important now than ever. Again I’m happy to say that we, MiALA, are a sponsor of this important event. Thus far a number of MiALA Board Members are planning to attend Michigan Library Advocacy Day and I would encourage everyone who is able to attend as well. Let’s make sure our voices are heard.
Cheers,
Mies Martin
2024-205 MiALA President
Sign Up to Host a Birds of a Feather Table and/or Dine Around!
The MiALA conference planning committee seeks groups interested in hosting a Birds of a Feather lunch table and/or Dine Around in a Flint restaurant on Monday, May 19.
The Birds of a Feather and Dine Around Subcommittee will handle reservations and attendee sign up. Hosts of either meal will have some discussion talking points in mind. Dine Around hosts lead attendees to their designated restaurant.
Please volunteer your group to host by Friday, April 4 by emailing Caitlyn Stypa (stypac@lcc.edu)
MiALA Conference Scholarships Applications Now Open!
Now open! The application period for the MiALA conference scholarships is open until Thursday, March 20. 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: https://miala.org/miala_2025_annual_conference_s.php
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!
For more information, please visit https://bookings.lib.msu.edu/event/14001378
This event is sponsored in part by MiALA!
Thank you for your interest in our event! We hope to see you there!
Call for Nominations: Academic Librarian Of The Year Award
Established in 2020, the ALOTY award recognizes the outstanding accomplishments of a MiALA member and their contributions to their institution and academic libraries. The award criteria is not limited to achievements within the current academic year and nominees may include library administrators or library faculty.
The winner will be announced at the Annual Conference in May, and will be formally recognized at the Michigan Library Awards ceremony in October (date and location TBD). In addition, the winner will receive a cash prize of $250, a statuette, and complementary registration to the 2026 Annual Conference.
Please consider nominating a deserving colleague, or if you are that deserving colleague, ask someone to nominate you! Click here or follow the link under the News and Events heading on the MiALA homepage for more information, guidelines, and a link to the nomination form. Deadline for submissions is Friday, April 25!
Call For Nominating & Elections Committee Volunteers!
The Nominations/Elections Committee seeks members from each of the three types of academic libraries to coordinate and identify candidates for President-Elect, Secretary, Board of Directors, and Interest Group Coordination Council. Other duties include developing an election timeline, promoting the election process to members, soliciting candidate’s profiles and information, and verifying election results. The committee will begin its work in February and conclude with the end of the election cycle in June 2025.
If you can spare a few hours to help us build MiALA’s next leadership team, or have questions, please contact committee Chair Darlene Johnson-Bignotti: dxjohnso@oaklandcc.edu
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