Welcome New Members!
Michigan State University
Colleen Lyon
Eastern Michigan University Library
Sarah Fabian
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.
Featured Job Board Posting
Wayne State University
Librarian I/II, Collections and Information Services
The Vera P. Shiffman Medical Library welcomes qualified applicants to apply for the position of Collections and Information Services Librarian. The role is pivotal to advancing the University Libraries’ strategic goals of enhancing discoverability and accessibility of the academic health sciences collections. Join a vibrant, skilled, and service-oriented library team that serves the region\'s largest single-campus medical school and the Eugene Applebaum College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences. Shiffman Medical Library is located near midtown Detroit on Wayne State\'s robust medical campus, surrounded by partnering teaching hospitals and medical centers. This is a full-time position reporting to the Library Director. Shiffman Medical Library is a part of the Wayne State University Library System.
For more information, or to see other jobs listed on the Job Board, please visit the MiALA Job Board website.
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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Message From The President
Happy New Year MiALA Colleagues!
I hope everyone had a wonderful semester break and feels refreshed as we begin the new year.
For MiALA, the start the new calendar year kicks off the start of the MiALA elections cycle as the Nominations Committee work gets underway. Mies Martin, current past president, is looking for volunteers from community college, private college and university, and publicly funded university settings to help identify and recruit candidates for open Board of Director and Interest Group Coordinating Council positions. I encourage you to complete the Committee Volunteer Interest Form if you are interested in participating on the Nominations Committee or would like to get involved in other MiALA work. We’ll be looking for volunteers to support the 2026-2027 advocacy, communications, conference planning, IDEA, and membership committees in the spring, for appointments that begin July 1.
Based upon member feedback, we’ll be charging a task force to undertake a review of the MiALA Website this spring and will need volunteers to help with this project. Consider completing the volunteer form if you have time and interest in sharing your expertise as part of this task force.
The RFP for the 2027 conference is out! If you are in the Detroit Metro/Ann Arbor area and have interest in hosting the next MiALA Annual Conference, reach out to Kalyn Huson, MCLS Association Coordinator and Administrative Specialist, at contact@miala.org for details.
There is still time to submit a discussion, presentation, workshop, lightning talk or poster proposal for the 2026 Annual Conference in Traverse City! You’ll find links to the submission forms and conference details at on the MiALA Website.
Wishing you all a happy, healthy, and prosperous 2026!
Best regards,
Julie Garrison
President, MiALA
MiALA Annual Conference Call For Posters
Call for Poster Proposals is Now Open!
The Michigan Academic Library Association (MiALA) invites you and your colleagues to submit poster proposals for the annual conference to be held May 6-8, 2026, at the Park Place Hotel & Conference Center in Traverse City, MI. Participation from librarians, library staff, LIS students, and administrators from all types of academic libraries is encouraged, so please share this announcement. We welcome posters on any topic related to work in academic libraries, particularly if they have a connection to the conference theme Finding Our True North: Creating Connections to Light Our Way.
Poster proposals should include a description of no more than 300 words. They will be evaluated on impact on academic libraries and higher education, originality and creativity, and clarity. If you submit a presentation proposal that is not accepted, we encourage you to reframe your topic for consideration as a poster.
Prior to submitting your proposal, please review the Poster Session Guidelines page. Please submit your poster proposal using the online form here by February 16, 2026.
The primary contact listed on each proposal will receive a message indicating receipt of the proposal when it is submitted, and a decision on proposals by the end of February.
Questions about poster proposals can be sent to Lauren Vogt, LaurenVogt@ferris.edu. Questions about the conference in general can be sent to conference@miala.org.
MiALA Conference Keynote Speaker: Steven Adams
MiALA is excited to welcome Steven Adams as the keynote speaker for the upcoming 2026 MiALA conference!
Steven M. Adams has 26 years of experience as a librarian, educator, speaker, and workshop facilitator. He creates dynamic learning experiences that spark introspection and nurture group cohesion. Steven’s current research and workshop design projects explore the role of curiosity in creating and sustaining engaging workplace cultures. He is currently Head of Public Services for Learning and Engagement at Northwestern University. Steven recently completed his time as the Faculty Mentor for Northwestern's 7th class of Posse Scholars. As a passionate advocate for the archival preservation of African American legacies, he also serves as the Board Chair of the Black Metropolis Research Consortium (BMRC). Prior to Northwestern, Steven served as Princeton University’s Biological and Life Sciences Librarian and Psychology Librarian, and as a Reference Librarian at the Atlanta University Center’s Woodruff Library. Steven received his B.A in Biology and his M.S.L.S. from Clark Atlanta University.
Outside of his professional activities, Steven is doing work in Evanston, IL, to address issues that affect children, such as poverty, hopelessness, and uneven educational opportunities through the life span. Steven is Vice President of the Board of Foundation 65, which raises funds and leads initiatives which support K-8 teachers.
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