Virtual Program: Michigan Roots, Presidents Day Closing, 2026 Michigan Notable Books, Author Tour, & Remembering State Librarian Randy Riley
 Virtual
Program: Michigan Roots - African American Migration in Michigan
Thursday, February 5, 2026 - 6:30PM-7:30PM,
Zoom
Register
for this Program
This presentation discusses the migration of Blacks to Michigan in the mid-1880s, before the Great Migration from the south, with specific
examples in Marquette, Midland, and Detroit. Program will be presented by guest speaker
Rozlyn Kelly.
Rozlyn Kelly is a retired attorney with over 30 years of genealogical research experience focused on African American ancestry in Michigan,
Canada, Southern Illinois, Kentucky, and Washington, D.C. She is Past President of the Farmington Genealogical Society and serves on the executive board of the Michigan Genealogical Council as Past President.
Registration is required for all Zoom sessions.
Find the full schedule of 2026 Virtual Programs with registration information at Michigan.gov/LMPublicPrograms.
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 Library
of Michigan Presidents Day Closing Announcement
The Library of Michigan will be closed from Saturday, February 14, 2026 through Monday, February 16, 2026 for the Presidents Day holiday.
The Library of Michigan will reopen on Tuesday, February 17, 2026. All reference questions and library card applications will be processed during the week after reopening.
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2026 Michigan Notable Books List
2026 Michigan Notable Books List
The
2026 Michigan Notable Books list has been released. The 20 selected titles for the 2026 list are:
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Bear County, Michigan: Stories by John Counts – TriQuarterly
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Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea: A Veteran's Memoir by Khadijah Queen – Legacy Lit
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The Containment: Detroit, the Supreme Court, and the Battle for Racial Justice in the North by Michelle Adams
- Farrar, Straus and Giroux
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Cooler Than Cool: The Life and Work of Elmore Leonard by C.M. Kushins - Mariner Books
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Dead Moose on Isle Royale: Off Trail with the Citizen Scientists of the Wolf-Moose Project by Jeffrey M. Holden
- Michigan State University Press
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Devouring Time: Jim Harrison, a Writer's Life by Todd Goddard - Blackstone Publishing
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Forever in the Path: The Black Experience at Michigan State University by Pero G. Dagbovie - Michigan State University
Press
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The Gales of November: The Untold Story of the Edmund Fitzgerald by John U. Bacon – Liveright
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The Hours Are Long, But the Pay Is Low: A Curious Life in Independent Music by Rob Miller - 3 Fields Books
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The House of David: Salvation, Scandal, and Survival in a Modern American Commune by Evelyn Sterne - Oxford University
Press
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How to Talk to Your Succulent by Zoe Persico - Tundra Books
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An Ignorance of Trees: A Memoir in Essays by Jim Daniels - Cornerstone Press
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Miss Betti, What Is This?: How Detroit's School Lunch Lady Got Good Food on the Menu by Lela Nargi; illustrated
by Kristen Uroda - Sleeping Bear Press
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No Human Involved: The Serial Murder of Black Women and Girls and the Deadly Cost of Police Indifference by Cheryl
L. Neely - Beacon Press
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Roy Reuther and the UAW: Fighting for Workers and Civil Rights by Alan Reuther - Michigan State University Press
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Stepping Off The Boat: Stories From North Manitou Island by Susan Hollister Wasserman - Leelanau Press
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Theater Kid: A Broadway Memoir by Jeffrey Seller - Simon & Schuster
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This Magnetic North: Candid Conversations on a Changing Northern Michigan by Tim Mulherin - Michigan State University
Press
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The Vacation: A Teenage Migrant Farmworker’s Experience Picking Cherries in Michigan by Robert “Carlos” Fuentes;
illustrated by Kristen Wasil - Independently Published
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Waterline: A Novel by Aram Mrjoian – HarperVia
See the
full press release about the 2026 Michigan Notable Books list and other details about the Michigan Notable Books program at
Michigan.gov/NotableBooks.
Previous Michigan Notable Books Author Tour events.
Apply to Host a 2026 Michigan Notable Books Author
The application period is open for libraries across the state to host a 2026 Michigan Notable Books author. Every year, the Michigan Notable
Books program includes a 50-location tour with authors from the Michigan Notable Books list. 16 authors of the 20 books from the 2026 list are participating in the author tour. Interested libraries are encouraged to go to
Michigan.gov/NotableBooks and look for the
2026 Michigan Notable Books Author Tour Host Application link.
Please note a few items related to the 2026 Author Tour:
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The tour timeframe for hosting an author program has been extended from April, May, and June to April through August.
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Not all authors will be available for the entire length of the tour, and some will have limited areas of travel. Look for that information next to their name on the application.
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If you are willing to accept any author that is available for the 2026 tour, please indicate that on your application.
Applications are due
Monday, February 2, 2026. Direct all questions about the author tour and the application process to Mindy Babarskis by emailing
Michigan-Notable-Books@michigan.gov or calling 517-335-1457.
State Librarian Randy Riley during a September 1, 2023 MLive interview - 9/7/2023 The Grand Rapids Press p. B1
Remembering State Librarian Randy Riley
The Library of Michigan mourns the loss of State Librarian Randy Riley, who passed away suddenly on Saturday, January 3, 2026. A graduate
of Central Michigan University and the University of Michigan, Randy began his career at the Library of Michigan in 1989. Over his 36-year career, he served in a series of influential roles, including librarian, head of special collections, and MeL coordinator,
before becoming Michigan State Librarian in 2014. Randy was a fierce advocate for both the Library of Michigan and libraries across the state. Throughout his career, he was a passionate champion for literacy, access, and the vital role libraries play in public
life.
More information is available through the Michigan Department of Education's press release and Randy's obituary:
The Library of Michigan is grateful to everyone who attended the memorial service on January 9 as well as for the countless notes, calls,
letters, and emails from all who knew Randy. Details about the appointment of an interim state librarian will soon be available on the
Library of Michigan's website. The Library of Michigan Foundation is still accepting donations to the
Randy Riley Memorial Fund.
We also encourage you to view below an
interview Randy did with MLive in a September 1, 2023 as he talks about impact the Library of Michigan tries to have with its collections and services across the state for everyone in Michigan.
Click image above for MLive interview with State Librarian Randy Riley.
MLive interview link:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5uAlh4GPwYM
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