January Virtual Program, Holiday Closings, Michigan Author Award, 2026 Michigan Notable Books, Yearbook Project Update, History Detectives Grand Rapids, & ReadMichigan.org
 Virtual
Program: Michigan Souvenir Books
Thursday, January 8, 2026 6:30PM - 7:30PM, Zoom*
Register
For This Program
Official souvenir books are publications produced to commemorate special events, exhibitions, or celebrations. As printing technology
evolved, their use expanded to include tourism campaigns that attracted visitors to destinations across Michigan. Learn about the history of these publications and discover how they provide both images and context for your family history research.
Registration is required for all Zoom
sessions. Find the full schedule of 2026 Virtual Programs with registration information at
Michigan.gov/LMPublicPrograms.
*Program date has been moved from the first Thursday of the January to the second Thursday in order to avoid the New Year's Day holiday.
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 Library
of Michigan Holiday Closings
The Library of Michigan will be closed for the following days throughout December:
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Saturday, December 27, 2025
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Wednesday-Thursday, December 31, 2025-January 1, 2026 (New Year’s)
Additionally, the
State Law Library is closed from Tuesday, December 23, 2025 - Friday, January 2, 2026. It will reopen on Monday, January 5, 2026.
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Jim Daniels Honored as 2025-2026 Michigan Author Award Recipient
Poet and writer
Jim Daniels has been honored by the Library of Michigan and
Michigan Center for the Book as the
2025-26 Michigan Author Award recipient.
A native of Detroit, Daniels has authored 30 collections of poetry, seven collections of fiction and four produced screenplays. His most
recent books include “An Ignorance of Trees: A Memoir in Essays,” non-fiction, Cornerstone Press, 2025; “The Luck of the Fall,” fiction, Michigan State University Press, 2023; and “The Human Engine at Dawn,” Wolfson Press, 2022, and “Comment Card,” Carnegie
Mellon University Press, 2024, both poetry.
He has also edited or coedited six anthologies of writing. He is a recipient of two fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts
and two from the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts. Four of his works have been honored by the Michigan Notable Books program: “Birth Marks,” “Eight Mile High,” “Rowing Inland,” and “R E S P E C T: The Poetry of Detroit Music,” co-edited by M.L. Liebler.
The Library of Michigan and Michigan Center for the Book will honor Daniels at a future event. Details will be announced once they have
been finalized.
For more information or questions about the Michigan Author Award, please contact the Library of Michigan at 517-335-1477 or Librarian@Michigan.gov.
View more information about the Michigan Author Award at
Michigan.gov/MIAuthorAward.
2025-2026 Michigan Author Award recipient Jim Daniels.
 Coming
Soon: 2026 Michigan Notable Books List
The Michigan Notable Books selection committee has narrowed down several hundred submissions to finalize the 20 titles that will be selected
for the 2026 Michigan Notable Books list. Look for the final selections to be announced in January. More information about the Michigan Notable Books program is available on
Michigan.gov/NotableBooks.
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Michigan Yearbook Collection Project Update
The Library of Michigan continues to make progress with its
Michigan Yearbook Collection Project. In the approximately 16 months since the yearbook campaign first began, over 4,000 yearbooks have been donated to the Library of Michigan.
Numerous recent donations have come from areas of the western portion of Michigan's Upper Peninsula.
Ontonagon Township Library has contributed several Ontonagon High School yearbooks. Hancock residents Jonathan and Morgan brought a carload of yearbooks to the Library of Michigan that included Suomi College (Finlandia
University) that they donated, along with Michigan Tech University yearbooks courtesy of the
Friends of the Michigan Tech Library. We are grateful for their donations along with everyone else who has contributed yearbooks to the Library of Michigan.
Learn more about the Michigan Yearbook Collection project by going to
Michigan.gov/LibraryGift. Questions should be directed to
Librarian@Michigan.gov or 517-335-1477.
Donations of Michigan Tech University, Suomi College (Finlandia University), and Ontonagon High School yearbooks.
 Partner
Program: History Detectives Grand Rapids
The Library of Michigan is a supporting partner of the
History Detectives Grand Rapids event taking place on Saturday, January 17, 2026 at Grand
Rapids Public Library in Grand Rapids. Started in 2008, History Detectives Grand Rapids is a day-long event created in collaboration with area local history groups that feature research projects of local historians or researchers from the Grand
Rapids area.
The 5 topics covered during the event include:
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Uncovering Grand Rapids Public School’s History as a Community
Leanne Kang | 10:00AM – 10:45AM -
Give Mother the Vote: Images from the Women’s Suffrage Movement
Ruth Stevens | 11:00AM – 11:45AM -
Tracking Down a Local Indigenous Footpath
Stephen T. Staggs | 12:00PM – 12:45PM -
Vietnamese in West Michigan
Matt Vriesman and Le Tran | 1:30PM – 2:15PM -
Festival of the Arts – One Perspective
Gina Bivins | 2:30PM – 3:15PM
Complete program
descriptions are available on the History Detectives Grand Rapids website: HistoryDetectivesGR.org/2026-Programs.
History Detectives Grand Rapids is overseen by the Grand Rapids Historical Commission in collaboration with several
other supporting partners. Find all details at HistoryDetectivesGR.org.
Direct all questions to historydetectivesgr@gmail.com.
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 Find
Your Next Winter Read on ReadMichigan.org
Looking for something to read during the cold winter months? Be sure to check out the selection of titles on
ReadMichigan.org. ReadMichigan is the Library of Michigan's eBook platform that includes a wide-selection of fiction and non-fiction titles that connect with the Great Lakes state. All ReadMichigan titles allow for immediate
access, with no wait lists or holds.
ReadMichigan.org cooperative effort between Library of Michigan,
Michigan Humanities, and the presses of
University of Michigan, Michigan
State University, and Wayne
State University
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