Hot off the presses: The American Library Association has just launched Show Up for Our Libraries, a campaign and toolkit intended to help safeguard our libraries by harnessing our collective advocacy voice. Visit their website for creative ideas, talking points and messaging tips, various calendars relevant to state and federal policymakers, social media templates, etc.

ICYMI: Last month, the Minnesota Book Awards announced the finalist slates across ten literary categories (here). Whether you like to read mysteries, memoir, or a mix of everything, this list of standout books published in 2024 is sure to have something for your personal "TBR" pile. 

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!

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!

Did you know that United for Libraries hosts an annual celebration of library supporters? It’s called National Friends of Libraries Week – and conveniently for those of us in Minnesota, it falls every October. It’s the perfect opportunity to celebrate and fundraise before November ushers in the year’s busiest, most crowded time for fundraising.

Dollar General opened more than a dozen new Minnesota stores in 2022, on top of a similar number in 2021. Odds are - if it wasn’t before - your Library is now located within 20 miles of the nearest Dollar General. This makes you eligible for a youth literacy grant from the Dollar General Literacy Foundation!