Update: on July 31, 2025, the Senate Appropriations Committee approved the Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies Subcommittee’s spending bill, which included $291,800,000 in total funding for IMLS (see pp. 329-330 for a budget activity breakdown for programs such as Grants to States).
With the U.S. Congress in recess until September, now is an important time to urge federal legislators to preserve federal funding for libraries nationwide via the Institute of Museum and Library Services’ (IMLS) Grants to States program. Grants to States provides funds for the purposes and priorities outlined in the Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA). State libraries each create a 5-year LSTA plan of programs they will fund using their annual Grants to States allocations. These include INSPIRE in Indiana and MeL in Michigan.
A July 15 American Libraries article explains the federal budget process briefly. Most years, Congress receives the executive branch’s budget request for the next fiscal year and House and Senate appropriations committees each respond by “marking up” spending bills that eventually help form the next year’s federal budget. The markup begins in several House and Senate appropriations subcommittees and then moves to the full committees.
The House and Senate each have a Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies Subcommittee (abbreviated here as LHHS) that considers IMLS funding. Some House and Senate appropriations subcommittees started the markup process before the current recess. Based on information from a House contact, staff from the Association for Rural and Small Libraries (ARSL) and the Urban Libraries Council (ULC) stated in a July meeting I attended that the House LHHS Subcommittee will not begin the markup process on its federal FY2026 spending bill until September. This means that those who care about libraries’ federal funding have an opportunity to contact their federal legislators.
Indiana Congressman Frank Mrvan (D-IN-01) and Michigan Congressman John Moolenaar (R-MI-02) both serve on the U.S. House Appropriations Committee. Congressman Moolenaar also serves on the House’s LHHS Subcommittee. Senator Gary Peters (D-MI) serves on the U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee.
Libraries such as Traverse Area District Library (MI) and Crown Point Community Library (IN) have made good use of information and calls to action from organizations including the following to share the positive impact that federal funding makes for libraries’ communities through services such as MeL and INSPIRE:
In addition to the above and MLA’s new MeL bookmark and recent statewide polling data showing strong support for libraries statewide, the MCLS staff created a simple MeL information flyer about MeL’s impact using information from LM. All of the resources linked above are publicly available for anyone to use and share.
Have a question about, suggestion for, or correction to the information above? I’d be glad to hear from you at garrisons@mcls.org. In the meantime, I hope you will join me in encouraging others to express support for continuing federal funding for libraries, which delivers high return on investment for each dollar spent and significant cost savings for libraries, among many benefits to communities. LM reports that MeL eResources generate $26.96 in return value for each $1 spent, and provided $66,910,869.99 in cost avoidance for approximately 1,265 libraries of all types throughout Michigan, from a total investment of $2,481,885.12 for Michigan FY2024. LM’s 2024 Michigan Libraries Snapshot states that of its $4.8 million in federal funding for that year, LM used $3.7 million for MeL (plus $1.2 million in state funding).
Libraries provide great value for the investment the public makes in them, and this is an important moment to remind Congress of that.
Libraries are built from stories, and they embody the power of stories. Stories are at the heart of the relationships libraries and everyone they serve need to succeed. At the MCLS annual member event on October 9, approximately 70 total attendees focused on how libraries can tell stories effectively from the perspectives of data storytelling and crisis communication.
The path to MCLS’s first in-person event in ten years is made up of many stories from the astonishing number of changes and challenges libraries have seen since 2016. We at MCLS have collected a lot of data in the last few years that are helping us tell new stories, from our strategic plan development and implementation through recent surveys and other work our Board and staff have done.
Following some stories from MCLS Board members Mike Hawthorne and Josh Petrusa that set context for our event, Professor Kate McDowell from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign’s School of Information Sciences delivered an inspiring keynote based on her ten years of work on data storytelling including the Data Storytelling Toolkit for Libraries (DSTL) and her 2025 book Critical Data Storytelling for Libraries: Crafting Ethical Narratives for Advocacy and Impact. Kate’s book weaves together many helpful strands that can help us build a positive future, and I recommend it very highly to anyone seeking to improve how they combine data with narrative to tell their library’s stories.
In her keynote, Kate highlighted the Storytelling Triangle between a story, its teller, and its audience, noting that we should be mindful whose role it is to tell a particular story. Each relationship in the Triangle is a dynamic one that can be influenced by whether a story is new or being repeated by the same or a different teller, and an audience’s attitudes toward the story. Kate established that critical data storytelling “requires understanding power dynamics from a storytelling perspective,” an idea dating back to the late-19th century women who introduced using empirical data in librarianship in a systematic way, and who were not allowed to present at conferences at the time.
Kate pointed out the differences between data, story, and information with the straightforward idea that “data in story context becomes information.” In her keynote (and in much greater detail in the book), she offered thought-provoking ideas about who owns data (and goals for using data) versus stories (and motivations for telling them), with examples relevant to academic and public libraries. Kate laid out the Data Storytelling Life Cycle as a framework to dealing with struggles libraries have had including translating data into stories and capturing those stories for outside audiences.
Data Storytelling Life Cycle (McDowell, 2026; used by permission) [size this image so it’s big enough to read online and scale it correctly]
The Life Cycle captures the ideas that many libraries collect and store data without really engaging and creating meaning, and that we need to make our data our own through all four steps in the cycle.
Kate then offered suggestions for to how to build stories that last and should be retold over time, such as how libraries have ended late fees to promote equitable access. She explained the cycle of story across time, from telling, to listening, to retelling, as well as a story’s chronological structure from an inciting moment though rising action, to a climax or turning point and falling action to a resolution or denouement. She cited the example of a campaign to expand a taxing district for a library whose district was smaller than its counterpart school district. Though the campaign failed, the data the library used to tell their story along the “upward arc” of rising action in their campaign increased awareness that kids outside the taxing district could come to and use the library even without a library card.
Before closing, Kate laid out three Structure Narratives from the DSTL and pointed out where data collection occurs in each:
Next, communication expert Thom Fladung led a workshop titled Putting Crisis Communications In Play, to help libraries be prepared in case of “explosive, unplanned visibility” that can damage our most important asset: our reputation. Thom’s experience as an investigative reporter earlier in his career has positioned him very well in his current role as Vice President and Chief Counselor at Hennes Communications (a division of AKCG Public Relations Counselors).
I hope you find the following summary of what Thom shared on October 9 useful. Rather than summarizing all of the valuable information he offered, please see below for images from a pocket-sized card with tips and more that Thom distributed and very kindly granted us permission to include in this piece.
Thom began with the idea that while communication can be the last thing we think about during a crisis, it can save our reputation as word spreads and the community awaits our response. He emphased how important it is to act promptly and communicate clearly and honestly in a crisis using the rules of the Damage Control Playbook:
Thom shared stories from his journalism experience to illustrate how the media works faster and more iteratively than ever before in the age of social media and search engine optimization. Media often run with what they have even if it does not represent a balanced view of a story.
He then turned to a set of five steps to manage outrage that often occurs in a crisis:
Thom laid out a “3-V framework” for bad news stories: the villain who caused the problem, the victim, and the vindicator who brings it to light for accountability. He also offered detailed strategies and tips for communicating via social media, pointing out the importance of having conduct rules for all communication including social media and how to handle comments effectively. Thom cited Traverse Area District Library’s Social Media Policy as a great example. In a crisis, he recommended putting the truth on the library’s website and making a simple social media post pointing to the website because a library has greater control over its website. To help defuse a social media storm, ask vocal commenters for a conversation away from the platform.
Libraries should ask the following questions when they identify an online reputation threat:
Following tips on determining the influence of a threat and best practices for responding, Thom turned to some media relations guidelines and interview control tools if we find ourselves contacted by the media. He staged some mock media interviews with brave event participants, seeking observations from the larger group.
Thom closed with key principles for developing a crisis communications plan:
As promised, here is the card Thom offered workshop participants:
© Hennes Communications LLC; used by permission
I’ll close here by thanking our annual member event planning committee, the staff and Board members who played a part in making the event happen, our hosts at St. Joe County Public Library, our fine speakers, and all member library staff who attended (especially those who completed our evaluation survey). Holding our first in-person event in many years was a lot of hard work, and truly a labor of love for our members.
If you were with us on October 9, I hope you’ll agree that our event was a great example of how MCLS brings libraries together to engage with valuable strategies and approaches, and of how together, we empower a strong library community. I also hope to see you at our next annual member event on April 30, 2027, back at St. Joe County Public Library in South Bend, IN. Until then, I encourage you to share questions, ideas and thoughts with me at garrisons@mcls.org.
Fall conference and event season is just around the corner, and I encourage you to engage with MCLS staff and Board of Directors members when our paths cross this fall.
In September, we’ll have staff and Board members at the following conference:
Upper Peninsula Region of Library Cooperation Annual Conference (Sept. 21-22)
In October, find us at the following conferences and events:
Association for Library Service to Children National Institute (Oct. 1-3)
MCLS Members Annual Event (Oct. 9 – list below subject to change)
Michigan Museums Association Annual Conference (Oct. 19-21)
MCLS Board of Directors Meeting and Retreat (Oct. 25-27)
Michigan Library Association Annual Conference (Oct. 28-30)
Michigan Association of School Librarians Annual Conference (Oct. 28-30)
In November, we hope to see you at the following conferences and events:
Charleston Conference (Nov. 3-6)
Indiana Library Federation Annual Conference (Nov. 8-10)
Michigan OER Network Conference (Nov. 13)
Finally, please save the date for the MCLS Annual Meeting: Tuesday, Dec. 8 at 10 a.m. Eastern (9 a.m. Central) online via Zoom. Watch your email for registration information, and we’ll look forward to seeing you there.
Our staff work hard representing MCLS at these and other conferences and events. We hope to see you and connect. Until then, contact me anytime at garrisons@mcls.org.
Have a question, idea, or story to share? Let us know!
This month, I’m sharing some data from our first annual member survey conducted this spring with the Indiana University Center for Survey Research (IUCSR). Our goal was simple: find out how well we’re delivering on the four key strategic priorities in our current strategic plan so we can use that feedback to help guide where we put our time and resources. Our key strategic priorities are Engagement and Collaboration, Invest in Innovation, Strengthen and Support, and Awareness and Accountability.
Before I share what we learned, I want to say thank you to everyone who responded to the survey. Whether you answered every question or just left us a comment, your input directly shapes decisions at MCLS. This piece is a high-level look at the results. If you’d like to know more, ask me at garrisons@mcls.org.
Who responded?
Where we’re strong
Some areas for growth
Only 56% agreed they have a greater awareness of the value of library consortia than a year ago (35% were neutral), and among the smaller group of TALK-subscribing libraries who responded (n=23), just 43% currently see TALK as valuable, with many citing limited staff time to promote it to families. Both are clear opportunities for us to keep telling our story and supporting implementation.
What you told us you value
When asked what they value about MCLS, members most often pointed to training and professional development (83 mentions), the purchasing power and discounts that come from being part of a consortium (46), and the MCLS staff themselves (38), followed by networking, MeLCat, and shared/negotiated resources.
Where you told us we can improve
The top themes were: expanding training topics and formats (31 mentions), increasing awareness of everything MCLS offers (24), tailoring outreach for specific library types and locations such as school and small academic libraries (19), improving documentation and communication (17), and bringing back more in-person gatherings (14). A number of members also asked us to push harder on vendor pricing and negotiations, and some also mentioned generative AI.
Stories of impact
75 respondents took the time to share a story about MCLS’s impact. The most common threads were classes and professional development (30 mentions), benefits to patrons and communities (23), expanded access to books and content through MeLCat and RIDES (30 combined), and cost savings passed on to your library.
A note on methodology
IUCSR designed and administered this survey online using Qualtrics from April 14 to May 16, 2026, inviting 1,926 contacts across our member libraries. We received 443 usable responses (23% AAPOR response rate), and the average completion time was about 8 minutes. IUCSR reviewed the data for quality and coded open-ended responses into themes; a second analyst checked that coding for consistency. Because subgroup sample sizes are sometimes small, we see breakdowns by library size, type, and state as exploratory rather than statistically definitive.
Thank you, and let’s keep talking
Thanks again to everyone who responded to our first annual member survey. Your feedback already gives us a clearer picture of where we’re delivering well and where we need to focus. We’ll use these results alongside our strategic plan objectives to guide our work in the year ahead. As you’ll know from other MCLS communication, we already have some things in the works like our fall member annual event that will help us deliver on what you’re asking for.
As always, I’d love to hear from you. If you have ideas for how we can boost our survey response rate next year, or any questions for me as Executive Director, please contact me directly at garrisons@mcls.org or 517-489-4071.
Executive Director’s note: I used Claude Pro to help me analyze data from our 2026 member survey report from IUCSR and draft this month’s newsletter piece. IUCSR deidentified the survey data before sending us their report. Claude Pro does not have access to any survey data for generative AI training purposes. Ask me any questions you may have about this piece at garrisons@mcls.org.
Funding for MeL is provided in part by the Institute of Museum and Library Services through the Library of Michigan.
