MLA has two great virtual programs next week addressing book challenges and censorship. Both programs are FREE to attend for everyone in the Michigan library community: MLA Connect: How to Respond to a Public Challenge Join MLA on Tuesday, June 21, at 10:00 – 11:15 AM for an MLA Connect exploration: How to Respond to a Public Challenge. At this FREE MLA Connect webinar you’ll learn some effective tips for proactively preparing for challenges to materials, displays, or programming, how to access resources and colleagues for support, strategies that can be used to frame the narrative and conversation, and how to build strategic alliances for support. Plus, hear more about MLA’s new MI Right to Read <https://www.mirighttoread.com> initiative and how you can help support intellectual freedom in communities across the state. Due to the immediate relevance of the topic, this webinar will be offered free of charge to all members of Michigan's library community. Click here to learn more and register today<https://www.milibraries.org/index.php?option=com_jevents&task=icalrepeat.detail&evid=189&Itemid=276&year=2022&month=06&day=21&title=how-to-respond-to-a-public-challenge&uid=95d7e79740e1c2456284b78eb0505ed3>. MLA Connect Advocacy Hour: Creating a Crisis Communication Plan Join MLA on Thursday, June 23 at 11:00 AM for an advocacy hour about creating a crisis communication plan so your library is prepared to respond to a book-banning or censorship crisis. Issues of intellectual freedom and censorship may spark reactions that create a crisis. To support libraries dealing with the controversy and misinformation surrounding book challenges, the MLA Intellectual Freedom Task Force has developed a sample crisis communication guide<https://www.milibraries.org/assets/docs/IFToolkit/MLA.CrisisCommunicationGuide.5.5.22.pdf> created specifically for libraries so they are prepared to respond to misinformation and inflammatory public challenges to their collections or policies. Lisa Assenmacher Director of Brand Strategy for Piper & Gold Public Relations will join us to talk about what goes into a crisis communication plan and answer questions attendees might have about the Crisis Communication Guide<https://www.milibraries.org/assets/docs/IFToolkit/MLA.CrisisCommunicationGuide.5.5.22.pdf> provided in MLA's Intellectual Freedom Toolkit<https://www.milibraries.org/intellectual-freedom-toolkit-resources>. Click here to register.<https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZwvf-2rqjwpGNe3NwKJsqGQBA9Pp2oW0mFF> Questions? Contact MLA@milibraries.org<mailto:MLA@milibraries.org> We hope you will join us! Kind regards, Rachel [cidimage002.png@01D73C4D.ABEAD040] Rachel Ash Membership and Communications Director Michigan Library Association 3410 Belle Chase Way, Suite 100 Lansing, MI 48911 Phone: (517) 394-2774 ext. 2 Direct: 517-881-6652 *Please note new number milibraries.org rfash@milibraries.org<mailto:%0bmilibraries.org%0brfash@milibraries.org> Follow MLA on Facebook<https://www.facebook.com/MichiganLibraryAssociation> and Twitter<https://twitter.com/mlaoffice>!