Manitoba Library Association

Update! 🎉 The Manitoba Library Association has streamlined its membership structure and we’re excited to share what’s new.

We’ve introduced new membership categories and associated benefits - visit our website to explore them all and choose the membership that's right for you.

We've also completed our transition to a new membership management platform, Yapla. This change will help us provide a more efficient and user-friendly experience for members, including online account access, event registrations, membership renewals, and communications.

We are excited about the improvements this new platform will bring and look forward to continuing to serve Manitoba's library community.

If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact us.

🔗 https://mla.mb.ca/membership/

is hosting a Free Virtual Conference! 📣

On June 22 & 23, 2026, learn about The Irreplaceable Librarian: Reasserting Human Value in Librarianship.

Librarianship is deeply embedded in the lived experiences of the communities we serve. Our work is shaped by human relationships, social justice concerns, and the broader societal and information systems within which knowledge is created, accessed, and governed.

This theme speaks to the importance of centering humanness in an era of rapidly advancing technology and the widespread proliferation of generative AI. As librarians, our roles often require us to continue to prove our value within this shifting landscape. Our profession revolves around providing information, as well as its ethical uses, critical evaluation, and various tools.

To view the schedule and register visit conference.capalibrarians.org

A huge win for library workers, and for everyone who raised their voice to make it clear to national leadership that prison libraries matter.

Correctional Service Canada (CSC) has confirmed it will not move forward with the proposed budget cut that would have eliminated librarian positions in federal prisons — meaning the current library services model will remain in place.

This outcome reflects sustained advocacy from workers, community organizations, and people across the country who emphasized the essential role of prison libraries in literacy, learning, and rehabilitation.

It is a powerful reminder that collective action works, and that access to books, information, and education matter to Canadians.

While this is a major step forward for federal prison libraries, the work continues. Provincial and territorial facilities are still not required to provide library services. We remain committed to advocating for a future where all prisons have the support of funded, professionally staffed libraries.

📄 Read the Joint Statement that helped drive this outcome: https://mla.mb.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/CSC-Library-Statement-FINAL.pdf =16.04

Happy to see MLA’s Prison Libraries Committee featured in La Liberté, highlighting this year’s upcoming book drive supporting people incarcerated in Manitoba and their families.

"In prison, a book represents more than a pastime: it is a window to the outside world, a vital access to information, or even a rare link to one's language and culture."

📝 Reporting by Félix Guichard (La Liberté)
📸 Photo: Hugo Beaucamp
💬 Featuring Ashley Huot, President of the Prison Libraries Committee

Thank you to everyone donating books and spreading the word, see you on June 13, 2026!

Full article at: https://www.la-liberte.ca/2026/05/29/des-livres-pour-garder-le-lien/

Join the Manitoba Accessibility Office for a free webinar featuring speaker Jutta Treviranus, Director of the Inclusive Design Research Centre (IDRC) and professor in the faculty of Design at OCAD University in Toronto. The webinar will discuss how you can mitigate the risks and take advantage of the opportunities of AI.

Webinar Details:
Date: June 4, 2026
Time: 1:00 pm to 2:30 pm
Where: Online (Zoom Webinar)

This webinar will have accessibility measures such as American Sign Language interpretation (ASL) and live closed captioning. The webinar recording will be made available to those unable to participate in real-time on AccessibilityMB.ca.

Register: https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_og7QoYcfR7WrLZE070WURQ #/registration

The Manitoba Library Association Board of Directors is excited to share the new 2026-2030 Strategic Plan.

The Strategic Plan was designed with significant member input and thorough board discussions, and establishes a clear, unified sense of priorities and direction for MLA's future.

Read the full plan: www.mla.mb.ca

The 2025–2026 Annual Report is live!

This past year has been one of reflection, transition, and forward planning for the Manitoba Library Association. We saw incredible engagement from library workers and communities, reflecting a shared interest in strengthening library services province‑wide.

Thank you to the members of the Board, as well to our members, partners, and supporters for your continued support of MLA and of libraries across Manitoba. We're so excited for the future of MLA. Together, we are strengthening libraries as essential community spaces across Manitoba.

🔗 Read the full report: mla.mb.ca/annual-reports

We need you. In these times of funding restraints, safety issues, and the ongoing devaluation of the library profession, your passion and advocacy help ensure Manitoba’s libraries remain vital third spaces for lifelong learning.

Join us virtually NEXT WEEK on May 7, 2026 at 6:30 PM for the Manitoba Library Association Annual General Meeting. See our new strategic plan and learn about exciting growth ahead. We'll also be electing a Vice President, Treasurer, Secretary, Director-at-Large, Library Technicians Division Chair, Library Trustees Division Chair (application link in bio).

Register now: https://tr.ee/kaQL55vbsY

You will receive the AGM package and Zoom link upon registration.

The MLA - Prison Libraries Committee (PLC) have been bringing books and library services to incarcerated Manitobans since 2012.
How do they do it?
With over 50 volunteers, wonderful support from the community, and their annual book drive!

As you spring clean during the month of May - think of the PLC and help provide much needed access to books and information to incarcerated community members.
Thank you!

It's time for the PLC and Prison Visiting Rideshare - Manitoba annual book drive! If you're doing some spring cleaning, consider dropping off your old (but still clean and fresh😉) books with us!