Hello,

We’re really looking forward to hosting what I’ve been thinking of as an “Accessibility Double Feature” on Tuesday, April 7 at Library of Michigan! Michigan library staff are invited to gather with the Michigan Accessibility Services Roundtable for a meeting at Library of Michigan. Immediately following the meeting, Disability Network of Southwest Michigan will provide in-person training on “Affirming Supports for Autistic People”. The meeting and training will be held in the Lake Michigan Room on LM’s 4^th Floor. Please register for the meeting or the training or both!

Roundtable Meeting – 10 am – 10:45 am

Join us for a gathering of the Accessibility Services Roundtable (ASR) at Library of Michigan. Led by Jen Taggart, Youth Services Department Head at Bloomfield Township Public Library, the ASR is a group of librarians and library & information science students in Michigan working with children, teens, and adults with disabilities. This roundtable was created in 2014 to discuss current accessibility resources, collection development, programming best practices, and educational opportunities for providing accessible services to library visitors and staff in the disability community. Register here; https://libraryofmichigan.app.neoncrm.com/np/clients/libraryofmichigan/event.jsp?event=11031

Disability Network Southwest Michigan presents training: Affirming Supports for Autistic People – 11 am – 12:30 pm

Autistic brains develop differently, and Autistic people often require unique support to thrive. In this workshop, we will explore how the Autistic brain works and why focusing on behavior rarely helps Autistic people. We will also discuss affirming ways to support Autistic sensory, movement, communication, executive function, and emotional needs. Presenter Max Hornick (they/them) is a Community Education Coordinator for Disability Network Southwest Michigan, where they have worked since 2018. They are a graduate of Western Michigan University, a Certified Nonprofit Professional, a certified Emotional CPR Practitioner, and a nationally certified ADA Coordinator. Their lived experience as a disabled, neurodivergent person informs their work providing education on disability-related topics and facilitating Disability Network’s virtual Autistic adult peer support group. Registration here: https://libraryofmichigan.app.neoncrm.com/np/clients/libraryofmichigan/event.jsp?event=11026 For more information about Disability Network Southwest Michigan visit their website at https://www.dnswm.org/.

Awesome Millage Mondays

Mondays, April 6 – May 4, 2-3:30 pm

Michigan Public Libraries are required to be funded locally, by the communities they serve. Generally that means a millage. A millage means a millage campaign. This 5-part weekly webinar series will provide information and resources on the millage process- from how to determine whether to go for a millage and how much to request, to the laws surrounding the millage process, campaign limitations, yes groups, and tackling tough community questions.

Session I: April 6, 2026, 2:00pm - 3:30pm
MI Library funding & Millage basics (What is a millage? How much should you ask for? How much revenue will a millage yield?) Featuring Clare Membiela & Joe Hamlin, Library of Michigan

Session II: April 13, 2026, 2:00pm - 3:30pm
Promoting Your Millage Through Data - How to "campaign" for your millage legally through factual infographics. Featuring Joe Hamlin, Library of Michigan

Session III: April 20, 2026, 2:00pm - 3:30pm
Ensuring Legal Compliance - How to Navigate the Millage Process. Featuring Anne Seurynck, Attorney, Foster, Swift, Collins and Smith

Session IV: April 27, 2026, 2:00pm - 3:30pm
YES Committee Basics - Formation and Activities. Featuring Shirley Bruursema, Library Board and Millage Consultant.

Session V: May 4, 2026, 2:00pm - 3:30pm
Communicating With Your Community - Addressing Difficult Questions. Featuring a diverse panel of Michigan Library stakeholders representing library directors, library cooperatives and MLA who will offer advice, experiences and perspectives on navigating a successful millage process -including addressing difficult questions and engaging patrons who are millage-adverse.

Gather ‘Round the Table with Teens is an interactive food literacy workshop for library staff serving young adults offered at 3 locations this Spring.

April 20 at Jackson District Library – Meijer Branch

April 22 at Traverse Area District Library - Woodmere

April 24 at Gloria Coles Flint Public Library

Food Education Consultant Rebecca Antill will provide in-person workshops on how to plan and deliver nutrition & cooking programs for teens, featuring how to do so with minimal kitchen access. As a former librarian, Rebecca will offer a tailored learning experience that will equip library staff to offer food programming of all levels at their libraries. Basic health and safety information, kitchen classroom management, culinary skills, and community partners will all be discussed as participants cook and share time together. Bring your own apron as this cooking workshop is hands-on and very interactive! Registration is limited.

Office Hours with LM Library Development Staff - Register on LM’s Continuing Education Calendar to receive Zoom link

• Digital Collections Office Hours with Biz Gallo – March 12, 10:30 – 11:30 am
• Library Law Office Hours with Claire Membiela – March 19, 3:00 – 4:00 pm
• Grants Office Hours with Karren Reish – April 14, 3:00 – 4:00 pm

Webjunction Self-Paced Courses and Webinars

LM’s Staff Skills Niche Academy

United for Libraries

People Connect Institute’s (PCI) Weekly Webinars – Wednesdays at 2 pm – Next Up Today: Managing the Afterschool Crowd at Your Library

MeL Resource Trainings – Next Up on March 17: Discover the America250 Gale eBook Collection from the Library of Michigan

For full details on all of Library of Michigan’s Continuing Education opportunities including upcoming events and recorded webinars, visit our website. Library of Michigan projects are made possible in-part by grant funds from the U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) administered by the State of Michigan through the Library of Michigan.

Other Continuing Education Opportunities

Perspectives on AI: Exploring Experiences with AI in Library Work

AI is reshaping libraries in ways that raise hard questions and real opportunities, and library workers are responding with everything from skepticism to excitement to alarm. This three-hour mini-conference, being held on Thursday, April 9, 10:30 am - 1:30 pm US-Pacific Time, is designed to honor that complexity so attendees can form their own informed, values-grounded view.

The mini-conference will explore AI from the angles that matter to library workers:

• Understanding risks and potential harms;
• Practical applications in library and administrative work;
• Research and information literacy;
• Leadership decision-making;
• Ethical considerations;
• Supporting patrons who are navigating AI in their own lives.

Please join us for a conversation that will be as broad and honest as the topic deserves. Attendance is free and open to all. Registration is through Eventbrite. This conference is a collaborative project of California Libraries Learn, the California Library Association, California State Library, and Library 2.0. It is supported in whole or in part by the U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act, administered in California by the State Librarian.

Andrea Vernola

Continuing Education Coordinator | Library Development

Library of Michigan, 702 W. Kalamazoo St, P.O. Box 30007, Lansing, MI 48909

vernolaA@michigan.gov | 517-335-0123

https://www.michigan.gov/libraryofmichigan

Get personalized voter information on early voting and other topics at Michigan.gov/Vote.