Registration is now open for the 2024 conference of the Minnesota Library Association. Join library staff, trustees and supporters at the Mayo Civic Center in Rochester on October 24-25 for dozens of panels, keynote talks and networking opportunities. Special guests will include “celebrity librarian” and TikTok phenom Mychal Threets, well-known in the library world and beyond for his powerful message of library joy.

Memorial Day heralds summer, and with it comes several grant and award deadlines for MALF member groups. Coming up first: Friday, July 5 is the cutoff to submit for the annual Evy Nordley Award for Best Project. Common project types entered into this contest include special events, successful fundraisers, membership drives, and advocacy campaigns – but the sky is the limit! Don't think your Friends conducted any activities on the scale of an Evy Nordley prize contender over the past year? Consider contributing to our inclusive and ongoing Stand Up for Standout Friends project instead!

MALF is pleased to announce that our popular Friends of the Library “mini-conference” is returning for 2024. Mark your calendars Saturday, October 5 for MALF’s fifth annual SATURDAY SPLASH. Why do we call this event Saturday Splash (aside from the obvious fact that it’s always held on a Saturday)? It’s because our half-day itinerary will include a splash of this, and a splash of that! As the connecting thread, every program module will celebrate Friends' work or offer value learning opportunities to further that work.

Congratulations to this year’s Minnesota Book Award winners! If you missed the celebration back on May 7, you can read up on the 2024 honorees via the Star Tribune or Pioneer Press. Better yet: You can watch the archived simulcast of the live event on the YouTube channel of the host organization, The Friends of the Saint Paul Public Library.

We asked – you answered! Over the past year, MALF has polled our members and webinar attendees with a simple question: What should MALF’s programming focus on next? Several issues rose to the fore, but topping that list is interest in a webinar or workshop centered around a truly classic fundraising strategy: Friends of the Library auctions. Our programming committee is now hard at work coordinating such a program...