Welcome New Members!
Wayne State University
Vaughn Haynes
Unaffiliated
Willow Calderwood
Unaffiliated
Caroline Kerney
Western Michigan University
Malyn Berger
Anne Bertin
Anne Bertin
Member Spotlight
Vaughn Haynes
Wayne State University
Graduate Student Assistant
What are you currently reading?
Nadja by André Breton. It's weird and it's awesome. I also just finished re-reading Severance by Ling Ma. It's a brilliant post-apocalypse zombie novel that's nothing like the (equally brilliant) TV show with Adam Scott. Also a billion different scholarly articles for my classes...
What are your research interests?
A little bit of everything. I've been exploring all sorts of fields like collection development, reference, assessment... so far instruction and information literacy have been my favorite! I'm also into critical librarianship. My goal is to become a subject specialist/liaison - I come from a theatre/fine arts background but really anything that pays the bills I'll take.
Do you have hobbies or interests outside of the library?
I make music and code video games. I also direct/choreograph theater. My New Year's resolution was to watch more movies, so that's been pretty fun too! My favorite so far has been Apocalypse Now.
What drew you to the library profession?
I worked circulation at a few public libraries and totally loved it there. I then got an assistantship at library school and totally loved it there even more! My favorite parts are when I get to collaborate and work with others on projects, whether it's students, faculty, or other librarians.
What do you value about MiALA?
I'm grateful for the opportunity to collaborate with other academic librarians. I'm excited to meet like-minded individuals and learn something new!
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.
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Message From the President
It’s hard to believe it is already December. The fall semester and the first five months of my MiALA presidential year have flown by. As the 2026 Conference Planning Committee is inviting members to contribute papers and presentations for the annual MiALA conference in Traverse City in May, the board is gearing up to start the 2027 conference planning cycle. Once we select potential locations and dates to explore, we’ll be sending out the RFP. In addition to exploring hotel and other commercial venues for the conference, the board is still interested in proposals from member institutions who would like to host. If your institution is near one of the potential locations, we may be in touch to explore opportunities for your involvement.
Also on deck for our December board meeting, we’ll be talking with the Communications Committee Chair about how we are connecting with our members through our website, newsletter, listservs, social media channels, and other means. If you have ideas about MiALA communications you would like to share, please reach out to me or Jon Jeffryes, chair of the Communications Committee.
I wish you all a wonderful holiday season and happy new year!
Call For Presentation Proposals Now Open
The Conference Planning Committee is now accepting presentation proposals for the annual conference, which will be held May 6-8, 2026, at the Park Place Hotel and Conference Center in downtown Traverse City, MI.
This year’s theme is "Finding Our True North: Creating Connections to Light Our Way." Amid an era of rapid and often unsettling change in higher education, Michigan’s academic libraries remain vital centers of integrity, inquiry, and connection. Committed to upholding intellectual freedom, access, inclusivity, privacy, and the pursuit of truth, our “True North” is the shared compass that guides our work and keeps us grounded. We invite the academic library community to reflect on how it can embody our profession’s enduring core values, even when external pressures threaten to pull us off course. This year’s conference seeks to illuminate how academic libraries across Michigan are building resilience, fostering collaboration, and staying true to our values.
We welcome proposals on topics covering any aspect of academic libraries. We are especially interested in those proposals that explore how academic libraries are reaffirming their “True North”—the guiding principles that sustain and inspire our work. Proposals are currently being accepted for the following formats:
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Presentations, panels, or moderated discussion sessions (45 min.)
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Interactive workshops (105 min.)
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Lightning Talks (10 min.)
Note: Poster presentation proposals will open in early December. Participation from librarians, library staff, LIS students, and administrators from all types of academic libraries is encouraged. MiALA membership is not required to submit a proposal.
Please submit your presentation proposal using the application form by January 12, 2026.
Questions about proposals can be sent to Stephanie Swanberg, sswanberg@msp.edu.
Questions about the conference in general can be sent to conference@miala.org.
Join us as we come together in Traverse City to reflect, reconnect, and rediscover our collective direction. Let’s amplify the stories, strategies, and sparks of inspiration that remind us of who we are and why our work matters.
Is Your Info Lit Working? Assessing Student Learning
How does your library assess information literacy skills and your instruction? We all use a variety of assessment methods such as pre and post-tests, quizzes, and one-minute papers. Which models have worked well for you and your library, and which ones have not worked as well? In this Casual Conversation we will discuss our assessment strategies and best practices for measuring student learning outcomes and likability.
Join us on Zoom on Wednesday, Dec. 3rd from 11am-noon
Job Board Now Available
MiALA now has a job board, located as a link/tab on the homepage navigation bar. The job board is publicly accessible, but only MiALA members can post job openings. To post to the job board, members must be logged in and then go to Member Menu--Resources--Submit Job Board. Job postings will post automatically and disappear after the expiration date.
If you have any questions regarding the job board, please contact membership@miala.org.
IDEA Featured Resource
This month’s featured resource from the MiALA IDEA Resources for Education and Training list is:
Digital Transgender Archive. (n.d.). Homosaurus: An international LGBTQ+ linked data vocabulary. https://homosaurus.org/v3
Beyond a simple terminology list, this linked data vocabulary is designed to work
alongside subject vocabularies for libraries and museums, such as LC Subject Headings.
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 using our suggestion form.
News Submissions
Are you looking to get important information broadcast to MiALA membership through the newsletter, email, or other communication channels? Items can be sent via our submission form or by emailing the communications committee at communications@miala.org.
Have questions? Email communications@miala.org. We're happy to help!
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