October 20-26 26 marks National Friends of Libraries Week 2024. This annual celebration (est. 2005) is coordinated through United for Libraries, the library Friends and trustees arm of the national American Library Association. BIG NEWS: MALF is pleased to share that the Governor’s Office has also - for the first time - officially designated October 20-26 as Friends of Libraries Week in Minnesota!

United for Libraries Virtual is slated for July 30 - August 1. Full conference registration is just $149. If you cannot attend all three days, single day pass tickets cost $65/per. (Further discounts are available for ALA members.) Panel topics will run a wide gamut!

If giving campaigns are something you’ve struggled with in the past – or not even begun to explore – take a look at Library Giving Day. Brainchild of the Seattle Public Library Foundation, this one-day giving “holiday” is devoted solely to library causes and coincides with National Library Week. Last year, more than 500 organizations from across the country took part!

Next month (April 3-5), thousands of library staff and leaders will congregate in Columbus, Ohio for the biennial Public Library Association (PLA) conference. PLA is often hailed as the pre-eminent professional development opportunity for the field of public librarianship. While the conference is open to supporters like Friends, in-person participation is cost prohibitive for most volunteers. Fortunately for us, virtual tickets are also on offer!

April brings with it one of the best opportunities all year round to celebrate and promote our public libraries. National Library Week, coordinated by the American Library Association, runs April 7-13, 2024. Each year brings a distinct thematic focus. For this, the 66th iteration of National Library Week, that theme is "Ready, Set, Library." Highlights within National Library Week include National Library Workers Day (April 9) and Take Action for Libraries Day (April 11).

ICYMI: Minnesota lawmakers closed out the 2023 legislative session in late May. The approved budget is chockfull of increases and other updates which should come as welcome news to library supporters. Liz Lynch, legislative co-chair for the Minnesota Library Association, recorded a legislative update to refresh us all on the funding streams that support our libraries – and orient us to all the exciting changes in store for 2024 and beyond.

Five years ago, the Seattle Public Library Foundation established Library Giving Day as a way to drum up donor interest in library causes during the oftentimes slow spring months. It is scheduled to coincide with, or be in close proximity to, National Library Week. Last year alone netted $1,600,000 across 87 reporting participants – not bad for fundraising's traditional “slow” season.

Every public library in Minnesota benefits from State funds earmarked for interlibrary loan service (ILL), online database access, and special programming featuring authors and educators. These are just three of a dozen ways in which state dollars impact local library service. Crucial services like these are easy to take for granted - but we do so at our own peril. With that in mind, the Minnesota Library Association maintains a standing Legislative Committee.