MiALA 2026 Annual Conference

Learn about the statewide work of academic libraries supporting incarcerated students. This panel will share updates from the Michigan Consortium for Higher Education in Prison (MiCHEP) Library Affinity Group on efforts to establish standards for academic library access for students, examples of academic libraries supporting both new and established prison education programs (PEPs), and a discussion of the challenges that libraries face as they work to create the best learning environment for students.

Learning Objective(s): 1) Recognize the forms of collaborative work happening across Michigan to increase academic library access for incarcerated students; 2) Learn where to find support for efforts at your own institution; and 3) Learn about the new standards for information access for incarcerated students in Michigan.

This panel will present the perspectives of four librarians developing different types of credit-bearing information literacy instruction for a variety of disciplines, as well as their department head providing an administrative perspective. Each librarian will describe the origin of their project, how it has evolved, and their personalized approach to developing credit-bearing instruction to support the faculty and students in various departments.

Learning Objective(s): 1) Participants will be able to describe several approaches to developing credit-bearing courses and identify opportunities in their teaching/libraries for similar projects; 2) Participants will be able to assess if these approaches are feasible in their libraries; and 3) Participants will be able to devise their own approaches to move toward designing and advocating for teaching information literacy in credit-bearing courses.

Join us for a panel discussion about making colleague connections through MiALA Interest Groups (IGs). Panelists will include MiALA members from multiple institutions in a variety of roles. Participants will learn more about the experience of creating and running a MiALA IG and the benefits of being a member, including the importance of connections, mentoring, and networking.

Learning Objective(s): Participants will learn 1) How to start and participate in an IG; 2) How to benefit from networking; 3) How to engage in mentoring; and 4) How to prepare for leadership roles.

As AI becomes increasingly embedded in library tools and research support, librarians face growing tension between ethical concerns, environmental impact, and student needs. This panel brings together four librarians with varying relationships to AI, examining how “AI fatigue” shapes daily practice and institutional decision making. Panelists will explore ethical lenses, societal pressures, and approaches to engagement, inviting participants into reflective discussion about their own “True North” in teaching and supporting critical AI use.

Learning Objective(s): ​​​​1) Articulate how AI fatigue manifests in library work, including emotional, ethical, environmental and labor related dimensions; 2) Analyze how institutional, economic, and societal pressures shape librarians’ expectations to adapt, resist, or mediate AI technologies; and 3) Reflect on their own positionality and values when supporting student AI use within higher ed and library contexts.