Good question!! Jill Rauh, Public Services Librarian Benton Harbor Public Library 213 E. Wall St. Benton Harbor, MI 49022 269-926-6139 www.bentonharborlibrary.com The information and views presented do not necessarily represent those of the Benton Harbor Public Library. On Saturday, January 24, 2026 at 10:58:42 AM EST, Athens Library via Michlib-l <michlib-l@liblists.org> wrote: Hello All, Might be a bit of a silly question but I was asked to find ours off hours. I tried checking the Secretary of State via LARA I realized no library is in LARA. So where do you find your Library's incorporation date? Sincerely, Nathaniel Mottinger, Interim DirectorAthens Community Library 269-729-4479 | http://www.athenscommunitylibrary.orgM W & F 11am-6pm | T & Th 12pm-5pm | Sat 9am-1pm _______________________________________________ Michlib-l mailing list -- michlib-l@liblists.org To unsubscribe send an email to michlib-l-leave@liblists.org

Hello Nathaniel! I am Clare Membiela, the Library Law Consultant for the Library of Michigan Library Development Department. I can assist you with your establishment question. Michigan Public Libraries are government entities- they don’t incorporate like corporations. They are formed by municipalities. That’s why LARA had no information. 😊 I will check our files and see what we have and then go from there. I’ll connect with you directly for additional information. Take care! Clare Clare D. Membiela, MLS, J.D. Library Law Consultant Library of Michigan MembielaC@michigan.gov<mailto:MembielaC@michigan.gov> 517-335-8132 The research and resources above are for informational purposes only and not for the purpose of providing legal advice. You should contact your attorney to obtain advice with respect to any particular issue or problem. “the State may not, consistently with the spirit of the First Amendment, contract the spectrum of available knowledge.” Griswold v. Connecticut, 381 U.S. 479, 482 (1965). [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/>. From: Athens Library via Michlib-l <michlib-l@liblists.org> Sent: Saturday, January 24, 2026 10:58 AM To: michlib-l@liblists.org Subject: [Michlib-l] Athens Comm. Library - Where do you find your library incorporation date? CAUTION: This is an External email. Please report suspicious emails via the "Report to Abuse" button in Outlook Hello All, Might be a bit of a silly question but I was asked to find ours off hours. I tried checking the Secretary of State via LARA I realized no library is in LARA. So where do you find your Library's incorporation date? Sincerely, Nathaniel Mottinger, Interim Director Athens Community Library 269-729-4479 | http://www.athenscommunitylibrary.org<http://www.athenscommunitylibrary.org/> M W & F 11am-6pm | T & Th 12pm-5pm | Sat 9am-1pm