Hello, It's finally Spring! Registration is still open for several upcoming trainings from Library of Michigan and I've listed them below for your easy registration. I hope you'll join us. As always if there are training topics, you'd like resources for please reach out. I'd love to hear from you! If you'd like to set up a time to go over the MANY asynchronous training resources we have available for Michigan library staff, please let me know. I'd love to show you around via Zoom. Our Niche Academy platform offers hundreds of trainings on topics available to staff and trustees in Michigan libraries. Accessibility Services 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... 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... For more information about Disability Network Southwest Michigan visit their website at https://www.dnswm.org/. Awesome Millage Mondays<https://libraryofmichigan.app.neoncrm.com/np/clients/libraryofmichigan/event.jsp?event=10870> 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<https://libraryofmichigan.app.neoncrm.com/np/clients/libraryofmichigan/event.jsp?event=7470> April 22 at Traverse Area District Library - Woodmere<https://libraryofmichigan.app.neoncrm.com/np/clients/libraryofmichigan/event.jsp?event=7475> April 24 at Gloria Coles Flint Public Library<https://libraryofmichigan.app.neoncrm.com/np/clients/libraryofmichigan/event.jsp?event=7480> 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<https://www.michigan.gov/libraryofmichigan/libraries/ce/intro/lm-continuing-education-opportunities> to receive Zoom link * Digital Collections Office Hours with Biz Gallo - April 9, 10:30 - 11:30 am * Library Law Office Hours with Claire Membiela - April 16, 3:00 - 4:00 pm * Grants Office Hours with Karren Reish - April 14, 3:00 - 4:00 pm Webjunction<https://www.webjunction.org/home.html> Self-Paced Courses and Webinars LM's Staff Skills Niche Academy<https://my.nicheacademy.com/staffskills> United for Libraries<https://www.ala.org/united> People Connect Institute's (PCI) Weekly Webinars - Wednesdays at 2 pm - Next Up Today: Next Level Interviewing Skills<https://libraryofmichigan.app.neoncrm.com/np/clients/libraryofmichigan/event.jsp?event=11036> MeL Resource Trainings - Next Up on May 21 - Explore New Gale eBook Titles: Library Science, America250, and Digital Literacy<https://libraryofmichigan.app.neoncrm.com/np/clients/libraryofmichigan/event.jsp?event=10864> For full details on all of Library of Michigan's Continuing Education opportunities including upcoming events and recorded webinars, visit our website<https://www.michigan.gov/libraryofmichigan/libraries/ce/intro/lm-continuing-education-opportunities>. 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 Emergency Management in Libraries<https://nlc.nebraska.gov/scripts/calendar/eventshow.asp?ProgID=26143> from the Nebraska Library Commission April 22, 11:00 am - 12:00 pm EST Online Emergencies can occur with or without warning. Therefore, it is imperative to be prepared for the unexpected. Through proper planning and exercising, libraries have the potential to become more resilient when facing potential threats. Emergencies/disasters can be either natural or man-made resulting in severe or minimal impact. Therefore, taking an all-hazards approach to emergency preparedness will help mitigate and reduce impact of these events. In addition to ensuring a state of readiness for the organization, having a well-established emergency preparedness program can ease anxieties and feelings of uncertainty for staff and patrons. If the staff is properly trained on how to respond during times of emergency they will respond appropriately and be better prepared both at work and at home. Patrons visiting the libraries will be in better hands if the staff is knowledgeable of the organization's emergency procedures. In this presentation, I will emphasize the importance of developing an emergency preparedness program and available resources, illustrate how to identify potential risks, and how to assess their impacts. I will also discuss various plans such as emergency operation plans and continuity of operations. We will also look at mitigation strategies to reduce future impacts and strengthen security. Presenter: Brian Kendall, Community Resources Coordinator, Arkansas River Valley Regional Library System<https://www.arvrls.com/> Just Listen: Using Listening Tours to Improve Workplace Culture<https://www.nicheacademy.com/just-listen-using-listening-tours-to-improve-workplace-culture-1> April 29, 2:00 - 3:00 pm EST online from Niche Academy Mission-driven organizations like libraries and nonprofits serve many groups, but do leaders and administrators take time to think about the different groups within their workplaces? Employee work and personal contexts shape how they feel about their work lives, but these perspectives can be too nuanced to be accurately captured by workplace climate surveys. Instead, organizations should consider implementing listening tours to learn directly from their employees, in their own words, what is and is not working. Join Emily Mross and Carmen Cole as they discuss how they implemented a listening tour at their library. They will also provide information for conducting listening tours at other organizations. Niche Academy has other upcoming webinars<https://www.nicheacademy.com/upcoming-webinars> on various topics including project management, creativity in the workplace, and fundraising. How to Use Media and Information Literacy Events to Engage Teens and Communities<https://www.webjunction.org/events/webjunction/info-literacy-teens.html> May 12, 3:00 - 4:00 pm EST online from Webjunction Organizing and hosting events focused on media and information literacy topics can bring together teens and the larger community. In this session, staff from the Center for an Informed Public (CIP) and a librarian from Hoboken Public Library (NJ) will provide a brief overview of two programmatic models, A Day for an Informed Public and Media Mentorship, that libraries and their partners can use in their own communities. Hear about how you can engage with a mix of different formats such as games, small group activities, and intergenerational learning. Presented by: * Liz Crouse, Education & Engagement Manager, Center for an Informed Public, University of Washington * Valerie Coughlin, School Outreach Librarian, Hoboken Public Library (NJ) Measuring Trust: how to collect meaningful and actionable data<https://www.webjunction.org/events/webjunction/measuring-trust.html> May 28, 3:00 - 4:00 pm EST online from Webjunction Trust is such an important part of library's work - being a trusted member of the community, promoting trust in the community. But measuring trust is a tricky task. Our partners at IREX have spent lots of time thinking about how to do just that. Join us to hear IREX and several libraries discuss experiments they ran with trust-building programs. Learn how they collected data and what the data told them, and leave with some tips and tools for measuring trust in your library. Presented by: * Lissa Staley, Community Connections Librarian, Topeka and Shawnee County Public Library * Tetiana Liubyva, Director of Research and Learning, IREX Andrea Vernola Continuing Education Coordinator | Library Development Library of Michigan, 702 W. Kalamazoo St, P.O. Box 30007, Lansing, MI 48909 vernolaA@michigan.gov<mailto:vernolaA@michigan.gov> | 517-335-0123 https://www.michigan.gov/libraryofmichigan [Michigan's Top 10 Strategic Education Plan] <https://www.michigan.gov/mde/resources/michigans-top-10-strategic-education-plan> [Michigan.gov/Vote logo Description automatically generated]<https://mvic.sos.state.mi.us/> Get personalized voter information on early voting and other topics at Michigan.gov/Vote<https://mvic.sos.state.mi.us/>.
