" February 12, 2010
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 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.
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