Help us celebrate excellence in the Michigan library community! Please consider submitting a nomination for the Michigan Library Association's Lifetime Achievement Award, Public Librarian of the Year, Heart of a Champion, Rising Star, Support Staff of the Year, or Frances H. Pletz for Excellence in Service to Youth. Our annual awards not only honor outstanding individuals for their accomplishments, dedication and service, they also highlight our libraries and the amazing work being done in our communities! Nominate a colleague, staff member or library supporter for one of MLA's prestigious awards and help us highlight and promote excellence in Michigan libraries. Nominations are due this Friday, July 17! Honorees will be recognized Thursday, October 29 at the new virtual Michigan Library Awards event, co-hosted by the Michigan Library Association, the Library of Michigan, Michigan Association for Media in Education (MAME) and other organizations serving libraries. Check out an overview of MLA's awards below. Visit milibraries.org/michigan-library-awards<http://www.milibraries.org/michigan-library-awards> to learn more about MLA awards, view past winners, download the nomination guidelines and submit completed nomination packets. Lifetime Achievement Award New in 2020! The new Lifetime Achievement Award recognizes a deserving librarian for their distinguished service to the library profession over the course of their career. Throughout their career, the winner of the Lifetime Achievement Award will have sustained a strong and consistent body of work; demonstrated leadership in their community and in the profession; mentored and empowered library staff; provided innovative service to their community and enhanced the image and visibility of the library; promoted collaboration among libraries and librarians; or has been a catalyst in special areas such as intellectual freedom, library innovation, outreach, and/or equity, diversity and inclusion. The winner of the Lifetime Achievement Award will have been a librarian for more than ten years and is a strong supporter of MLA. Download the Lifetime Achievement Award Nomination Guidelines<https://www.milibraries.org/assets/docs/MLA%20Lifetime%20Achievement%20Award%20Guidelines%20v2020.pdf> Public Librarian of the Year Sponsored by the Walter H. Kaiser Award For more than 30 years, the MLA Librarian of the Year Award has recognized a librarian's outstanding accomplishments and contributions to the library community. Beginning in 2020, the MLA Librarian of the Year has been updated to the Public Librarian of the Year Award. This year, the MLA Awards Committee decided to create the new Lifetime Achievement Award that is open to librarians from all types of libraries, and change the name and criteria for the Librarian of the Year award to recognize a public librarian. We look forward to partnering with other organizations serving libraries and library professionals at the new annual awards gala where we will also honor an Academic Librarian of the Year and a School Librarian of the Year. In the past year, winners of this award have been leaders that inspire people, provided innovative library service to their community, promoted collaboration among libraries, and showed evidence of personal and professional achievement as well as initiative and creativity. The winner of the Public Librarian of the Year will have been a librarian for more than five years, is currently working in a public library in Michigan and is a strong supporter of MLA. Download the Public Librarian of the Year Award Nomination Guidelines<https://www.milibraries.org/assets/docs/MLA%20Public%20Librarian%20of%20the%20Year%20Award%20Guidelines%20v2020.pdf> Heart of a Champion Sponsored by the Walter H. Kaiser Award The Heart of a Champion Award, established in 2012, recognizes a library supporter who has shown an exceptional commitment to libraries or the library profession. Winners of this award will show their support to the library profession through continued advocacy, supporting or providing funding for the local library, or continued support of Michigan Library Association activities. Download the Heart of a Champion Award Nomination Guidelines<https://www.milibraries.org/assets/docs/MLA%20Heart%20of%20a%20Champion%20Award%20Guidelines%20v2020.pdf> Rising Star The Rising Star Award, previously named the Up & Comer Award, was established in 2012 to recognize a librarian who shows leadership early in their career. While new to the profession, they are forward-thinking, expand the role of librarian and move libraries into the future. Winners of this award will be energetic efficient library staff who push the boundaries of originality and creativity and help establish a library culture that sets high expectations, promotes learning, and creates an understanding of the library as an integral part of the community. The Rising Star Award winner will have been a library staff member for less than five years. Self-nominations are welcome. Download the Rising Star Award Nomination Guidelines<https://www.milibraries.org/assets/docs/MLA%20Rising%20Star%20Award%20Guidelines%20v2020.pdf> Frances H. Pletz Award for Excellence in Service to Youth The Frances H. Pletz Award for Excellence in Service to Youth is given annually to a Michigan library staff person who has made an outstanding contribution to the field of library service to youth throughout their career. The award is named for Frances H. Pletz, a former Executive Director of MLA, because of her exemplary library service to teens in our state. This award was established in 1978 by the Young Adult Division of the Michigan Library Association and was given to a teen librarian. In 2010, the Pletz Award combined with the Children's Services Award of Merit to create the Frances H. Pletz Award for Excellence in Service to Youth. Winners of this award have provided significant service to youth, ages 0-18, through a library that exposed youth to the library in at least one of the following ways: innovative programming, service on a committee, contributing research, presenting at a workshop or developing materials for a workshop. Download the Frances H. Pletz Award Nomination Guidelines<https://www.milibraries.org/assets/docs/MLA%20Frances%20H.%20Pletz%20Award%20Guidelines%20v2020.pdf> Library Support Staff of the Year Award New in 2020! The Library Support Staff of the Year Award was established to recognize a support staff professional who goes above and beyond to provide support at their library and who has advanced and strengthened the image of support staff. Any person with a paid, non-MLS position in a Michigan library that supports library services and operations is eligible. Professional positions with distinct areas of expertise such as finance or human resources specialists may be nominated, in addition to directors. Positions that provide support to the operations of library services are also eligible including but not limited to library pages, maintenance workers, library assistants, technical service support staff, delivery drivers, marketing staff and operations directors. Download the Library Support Staff of the Year Award Nomination Guidelines<https://www.milibraries.org/assets/docs/MLA%20Library%20Support%20Staff%20of%20the%20Year%20Award%20Guidelines%20v2020.pdf> Rachel Ash Membership and Communications Director Michigan Library Association 3410 Belle Chase Way, Suite 100 Lansing, MI 48911 Phone: (517) 394-2774 ext. 225 milibraries.org rfash@milibraries.org<mailto:rfash@milibraries.org> Follow MLA on Facebook<https://www.facebook.com/MichiganLibraryAssociation> and Twitter<https://twitter.com/mlaoffice>!