LIFE

Nonprofit Spotlight: Library of Michigan Foundation

Lansing

Established in 1985, the Library of Michigan Foundation is a 501c(3) nonprofit, public charity governed by an independent board of directors. The Foundation provides opportunities for charitable giving to benefit the Library of Michigan and to supply financial support for library programs, services and collections otherwise not provided through state or federal funding.

How the community benefits: The community benefits by location of the Library of Michigan and accessibility of its services, collections and programs. In April of each year, the Library of Michigan Foundation hosts a “Night for Notables” event at the Library of Michigan featuring 20 of the year’s notable authors and a well-known keynote speaker. Past keynote speakers have included former Gov. William G. Milliken, New York Times best selling novelist Doug Stanton, National Book Award winner Kevin Boyle and Academy Award winning film-maker, bestselling author and 2012 Michigan Notable Book Award winner, Michael Moore. This provides an opportunity to the community to interact with an amazing group of celebrated authors.

Some big news: The Library of Michigan and Library of Michigan Foundation have welcomed a new partnership with the Michigan Department of Education (MDE) in support of their Culture of Reading Project. Under the leadership of Michael Flanagan, the MDE has made a commitment to raise additional funds for the highly acclaimed “Michigan Reads!” program to be used to purchase books for distribution to children in under-served program areas. The Michigan Reads! program encourages reading to children during critical developmental periods and currently reaches more than 600,000 of our youngest citizens. The Michigan Reads! program provides a “kit in a box” to every Michigan public library and branch outlet, Head Start Center, public and private school building service K-2 classrooms, Great Start Readiness Program center and tribal library. The kits contain a copy of the selected book, a resource guide with activities specific to the book, along with other specially developed materials to promote reading to children ages birth through eight. In 2014, Jackson National Life added their generous support to the Michigan Reads! Program by covering the cost of kits supplied to the tri-county area of Ingham, Eaton and Clinton counties.

Making a difference: Because the Library of Michigan Foundation provides support to the Braille and Talking Book Library (BTBL), we constantly receive heart-warming letters from those who benefit from their services. We often hear how the services provided by BTBL significantly impact the quality of life of those who are blind, visually impaired or physically unable to hold a book or turn pages.

A powerful connection: The Foundation’s commitment to early childhood literacy through the Michigan Reads! Program sends a powerful and consistent message on early reading to help create vital partnerships between libraries, parents and early childhood educators. This helps tackle the growing literacy challenge and encourages reading proficiency in our children. The Michigan Notable Books program highlights and celebrates the abundance of literary talent in Michigan. This award is a valuable boost to Michigan authors, publishers and booksellers. The annual State Librarian’s Excellence Award of $2,000 can make a powerful difference to libraries being recognized for their exceptional innovations in library and customer services.

What you might not know: Over the years, the Library of Michigan has gone through a number of organizational changes, leaving people uncertain about the Library’s many services, collections and programs. The Library of Michigan now operates as a part of the Michigan Department of Educations and continues to support libraries and all Michigan citizens. One of the most overlooked services of the Library of Michigan is the Michigan Electronic Library (MeL), that provides a 24/7, online library, available at no cost. This service opens the door to millions of articles, documents, images, videos, books, test, tutorials and ebooks.

How can I help: The public can be involved through participation in the events hosted at the Library of Michigan. In addition, gifts may be made by visiting www.libraryofmichiganfoundation.org, or calling (517) 373-1297 for additional information regarding estate planning.

Nonprofit Spotlight runs each Sunday in the Life section. Want to be featured? Visit www.lsj.com/nonprofit to fill out the form.

Library of Michigan Foundation

•702 W. Kalamazoo Street, Lansing, MI 48915

•(517) 373-1297

www.libraryofmichiganfoundation.org