Document Type
Presentation
Publication Date
Fall 10-20-2018
Presented at:
Music Library Association Midwest Chapter, 77th Annual Meeting, October 18-20, Ann Arbor, MI
Abstract
The Michigan Academic Library Association (MiALA), established in 2014, is the leading professional organization for academic librarians in the state of Michigan, and a chapter of the Association of College & Research Libraries (ACRL). Within the organization are several established interest groups that reflect a wide variety of interests across academic librarianship. The MiALA Fine Arts Interest Group was formed in 2017 to serve as a forum for academic librarians who work with users and collections in the fine arts, including but not limited to, visual art, creative writing, dance, film, media production, music, and theatre to share ideas, collaborate, and develop professionally in order to best serve our constituencies’ unique needs. The Interest Group advocates and communicates the work of arts library organizations, such as the Music Library Association and the MLA-Midwest Chapter, with hopes for communication from other arts-library organizations in the future, such as TLA and ARLIS-NA. Through virtual meetings, the group has brought together librarians across Michigan for collaborative efforts, including conference presentations and feedback on day-to-day projects. In this session, three members of the Interest Group share how the group started, the benefits of connecting with local arts librarians, and future plans for the group. Librarians interested in making connections with other professionals across their region will gain ideas for starting similar groups and fostering relationships with local colleagues.