I received an email yesterday containing a portion of a letter from the
Michigan Department of Education.
This letter gives an idea as to the future of the Library of Michigan and it
does not look good.
Regards,
Peggy Villneff Youngs
Here is the text of the letter that I received (since I can't send an
attachment):
When the Library of Michigan was transferred to the Michigan Department of
Education through Executive Orders
2009-36 and 2009-43 and Executive Directive 2009-5, those Orders charged the
Superintendent of Public Instruction
to evaluate Library of Michigan programs and services in order to implement
measures to reduce expenditures and
eliminate duplicative services, while protecting the core mission of the
library and otherwise preserving and maintaining
open and free access to its collections.
The response to the Executive Orders and related directive is in alignment
with (but not solely dependent upon) the
significant reduction in operations funding for the Library of Michigan
during the current fiscal year 2009-10 and the
additional anticipated reduction in operations funding for the next fiscal
year 2010-11.
After months of development, the Library of Michigan and the Michigan
Department of Education have met the Governor’s
expectations for downsizing and for continuation of services by developing
the following plan, to be implemented from today
forward through completion by not later than October 1, 2011:
The Li
The Library of Michigan Executive Order Implementation Plan allows the
Library of Michigan to focus on and strengthen the
sustainability of its core mission.
The Library will continue to
· support, develop and promote *statewide library services* to
all Michigan libraries;
· provide *reference research services for all branches of state
government*;
· maintain and provide on-site access to its core collections
including *Law, Michigan, and Michigan Documents; and*
· fulfill the Library’s duties as prescribed in Public Act 540 of
1982. The statewide library services include *the administration
of the Michigan eLibrary (
www.mel.org) and all of its components; the
Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA)
federal grant, other federal and state and private grants, federal and
state statistics collection and reporting; and the
distribution of state aid to public libraries program*.
The Library of Michigan and the Department are committed to ensuring
the stewardship and on-going support of the *Genealogy Collection
* by working with the recently-appointed Michigan Center for
Innovation and Reinvention Board, and other stakeholders as
, appropriate, to identify agencies or organizations within Michigan
but outside of state government to manage and administer the
collection and services either in its current location within the
Michigan Library and Historical Center or elsewhere in Michigan.
Similarly, the Library and the Department are committed to ensuring
the stewardship and on-going support of the *Regional Federal*
* Depository Program and Federal Documents Collection* by working with
the Michigan Center for Innovation and Reinvention
Board, and other stakeholders, as appropriate, to identify agencies
or organizations within Michigan but outside of state government
to manage and administer the collection and program in a location
other than the Michigan Library and Historical Center.
Materials from the *General Main, Dewey, and Reference
Collections*currently housed and maintained at the Library of Michigan
will be offered to Michigan libraries to supplement other existing
collections. The remaining Library of Michigan collections, services,
and staff will be consolidated into the top two floors of the west
wing of the Michigan Library and Historical Center.
This Executive Order Implementation Plan is designed to strengthen
the sustainability of the Library of Michigan by focusing solely
upon its core mission as the state library and an essential
component of state government for the residents and libraries of the state
of Michigan. We welcome suggestions and participation in finding and
securing effective and sustainable agreements with the new
stewards of these important collections and services as we continue
to downsize state government and hold true to the core mission
of the Library of Michigan.
The