Welcome to the Michigan Library Association

Asante Cain

President-Elect, Michigan Library Association

Reference & Adult Services Coordinator, Grand Rapids Public Library

Congratulations to Asante Cain, who was voted in as president-elect of the Michigan Library Association (MLA) for 2013-2014. Asante is originally from Lansing, MI and worked at the Capital Area District Library (CADL) in Reference and Web Services after obtaining his M.L.I.S. from Florida State University in 1999. While at CADL in 2000, he worked on the team that developed their first library website. He has worked at the Grand Rapids Public Library (GRPL) for 12 years and is currently the Reference and Adult Services Coordinator.

Asante has to be one of the most positive role models in Michigan libraries. Anyone who receives an email from him will notice his signature tagline: “Make it an Outstanding Day!” He believes everyone has the opportunity to create positive acts for themselves and others every minute of every day. What is an ideal setting to make positive things happen? A library, of course.

Congratulations to MLA's new 2013-14 board members! Asante Cain, Grand Rapids Public Library, was voted in as president-elect. William Harmer of Chelsea District Library, Kelly Jacobsma of Hope College Libraries and Kay Swartz of Flint District Library were each elected as member at-large. All will serve three-year terms.

Many thanks to all the candidates for agreeing to run and to all our members who actively voted. We look forward to a great year!

President-Elect:
ASANTE CAIN Reference & Adult Services Coordinator, Grand Rapids Public Library
Members at-Large:
WILLIAM HARMER Library Director, Chelsea District Library	KELLY JACOBSMA Library Director, Hope College Libraries	KAY SCHWARTZ Director of Library Services, Flint Public Library
ACRL Chapter Representative: (Board Appointed)
STEPHANIE MATHSON Instruction & Reference Librarian, Central Michigan University Libraries

MLA is pleased to announce that Margaret “Peggy” Hemerling, Youth Services Librarian, Hastings Public Library, is the winner of the 2013 Frances H. Pletz Award for Excellence in Service to Youth Award. The award is given annually to a Michigan library staff person who has made an outstanding contribution to the field of library service to youth, ages 0-18 throughout his or her career. Peggy was honored at the 2013 Spring Institute Conference on April 11 at the Lexington Hotel in Lansing.

Since 1998, Peggy has worked at the Hastings Public Library engaging children and teens in all manner of literacy activities from toddlers learning letter sounds to teens discussing books with difficult themes related to growing up in our time. She continuously updates the programming and collections of the library to accommodate the changing needs and interests of children. Peggy’s responsibilities include coordinating Toddler Time and Story Time for the library’s youngest patrons and their caregivers, as well as 1^st-3^rd Club where she models library behavior and sharing to many of the same children who participated in preschool library activities.

For her older patrons, Peggy serves as the advisor to TAB (Teen Advisory Board), mentoring teens and allowing them to discuss library collections and plan teen events at the library. She also runs the Pizza and Pages book club where teens read and discuss books “with an edge.” Peggy helps teens articulate their feelings and how they can relate to their world and its issues.

Constructed in 2006, the Grace Hauenstein Library serves the 2100 students of Aquinas College by providing access to 180,000 print and electronic titles in the library’s collection and over 95 periodical index and other databases. Besides circulating the usual assortment of materials, the library also loans out laptops, Kindles, Nooks, Wiis,  iPods and iPads. The library was the location of a recently filmed “Harlem Shake” video made by Aquinas students.

In addition, librarians teach a one-credit required course (Beyond Google: College Resources and Research Skills) instructing students in research methods and search strategies using both traditional and electronic resources.

Springtime in northern Michigan ... smell the cherry blossoms in bloom ... feel the warmth of the sun on your face ... listen to the waves breaking on the beach of the bay ... advance your career through networking and professional development. Wait, what? If you think one of these things is not like the others, you'd be wrong. The 2013 Academic Libraries Conference, the premier event for academic librarians in Michigan, is being held at the beautiful Park Place Hotel in Traverse City on May 16-17.

For two days, librarians from higher education institutions across the state will be discussing trends, sharing ideas, exchanging best practices and growing as professionals through participation in more than 20 breakout sessions, poster sessions, networking opportunities and more. The conference will kick off with a keynote address by Trevor Dawes, president-elect of the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) and Associate University Librarian at Washington University Libraries in St. Louis, and will wrap up with a luncheon keynote by author, librarian and self-described curmudgeon-at-large Barbara Fister.