Special Collections Update - December 26, 2025

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Special Collections Update  -  December 26, 2025

January Virtual Program, Holiday Closings, Michigan Author Award, 2026 Michigan Notable Books, Yearbook Project Update, History Detectives Grand Rapids, & ReadMichigan.org

Mindy Virtual Presenting

Virtual Program: Michigan Souvenir Books

Thursday, January 8, 2026 6:30PM - 7:30PM, Zoom*
Register For This Program 

Official souvenir books are publications produced to commemorate special events, exhibitions, or celebrations. As printing technology evolved, their use expanded to include tourism campaigns that attracted visitors to destinations across Michigan. Learn about the history of these publications and discover how they provide both images and context for your family history research.

Registration is required for all Zoom sessions. Find the full schedule of 2026 Virtual Programs with registration information at Michigan.gov/LMPublicPrograms.

*Program date has been moved from the first Thursday of the January to the second Thursday in order to avoid the New Year's Day holiday.


Tree Snow LM Holidays

Library of Michigan Holiday Closings

The Library of Michigan will be closed for the following days throughout December:

  • Saturday, December 27, 2025
  • Wednesday-Thursday, December 31, 2025-January 1, 2026 (New Year’s)

Additionally, the State Law Library is closed from Tuesday, December 23, 2025 - Friday, January 2, 2026. It will reopen on Monday, January 5, 2026.


Jim Daniels Honored as 2025-2026 Michigan Author Award Recipient

Poet and writer Jim Daniels has been honored by the Library of Michigan and Michigan Center for the Book as the 2025-26 Michigan Author Award recipient.

A native of Detroit, Daniels has authored 30 collections of poetry, seven collections of fiction and four produced screenplays. His most recent books include “An Ignorance of Trees: A Memoir in Essays,” non-fiction, Cornerstone Press, 2025; “The Luck of the Fall,” fiction, Michigan State University Press, 2023; and “The Human Engine at Dawn,” Wolfson Press, 2022, and “Comment Card,” Carnegie Mellon University Press, 2024, both poetry.

He has also edited or coedited six anthologies of writing. He is a recipient of two fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts and two from the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts. Four of his works have been honored by the Michigan Notable Books program: “Birth Marks,” “Eight Mile High,” “Rowing Inland,” and “R E S P E C T: The Poetry of Detroit Music,” co-edited by M.L. Liebler.

The Library of Michigan and Michigan Center for the Book will honor Daniels at a future event. Details will be announced once they have been finalized. 

For more information or questions about the Michigan Author Award, please contact the Library of Michigan at 517-335-1477 or Librarian@Michigan.gov. View more information about the Michigan Author Award at Michigan.gov/MIAuthorAward.

Jim Daniels 2025-2026 Michigan Author Award

2025-2026 Michigan Author Award recipient Jim Daniels.


Michigan Notable Books logo

Coming Soon: 2026 Michigan Notable Books List

The Michigan Notable Books selection committee has narrowed down several hundred submissions to finalize the 20 titles that will be selected for the 2026 Michigan Notable Books list. Look for the final selections to be announced in January. More information about the Michigan Notable Books program is available on Michigan.gov/NotableBooks.


Michigan Yearbook Collection Project Update

The Library of Michigan continues to make progress with its Michigan Yearbook Collection Project. In the approximately 16 months since the yearbook campaign first began, over 4,000 yearbooks have been donated to the Library of Michigan.

Numerous recent donations have come from areas of the western portion of Michigan's Upper Peninsula. Ontonagon Township Library has contributed several Ontonagon High School yearbooks. Hancock residents Jonathan and Morgan brought a carload of yearbooks to the Library of Michigan that included Suomi College (Finlandia University) that they donated, along with Michigan Tech University yearbooks courtesy of the Friends of the Michigan Tech Library. We are grateful for their donations along with everyone else who has contributed yearbooks to the Library of Michigan.

Learn more about the Michigan Yearbook Collection project by going to Michigan.gov/LibraryGift. Questions should be directed to Librarian@Michigan.gov or 517-335-1477.

Michigan Technological University, Suomi University, and Ontonagon Township Library

Donations of Michigan Tech University, Suomi College (Finlandia University), and Ontonagon High School yearbooks.


History Detectives Grand Rapids logo

Partner Program: History Detectives Grand Rapids

The Library of Michigan is a supporting partner of the History Detectives Grand Rapids event taking place on Saturday, January 17, 2026 at Grand Rapids Public Library in Grand Rapids. Started in 2008, History Detectives Grand Rapids is a day-long event created in collaboration with area local history groups that feature research projects of local historians or researchers from the Grand Rapids area.

The 5 topics covered during the event include:

  • Uncovering Grand Rapids Public School’s History as a Community
    Leanne Kang | 10:00AM – 10:45AM
  • Give Mother the Vote: Images from the Women’s Suffrage Movement
    Ruth Stevens | 11:00AM – 11:45AM
  • Tracking Down a Local Indigenous Footpath
    Stephen T. Staggs | 12:00PM – 12:45PM
  • Vietnamese in West Michigan
    Matt Vriesman and Le Tran | 1:30PM – 2:15PM
  • Festival of the Arts – One Perspective
    Gina Bivins | 2:30PM – 3:15PM

Complete program descriptions are available on the History Detectives Grand Rapids website: HistoryDetectivesGR.org/2026-Programs. History Detectives Grand Rapids is overseen by the Grand Rapids Historical Commission in collaboration with several other supporting partners. Find all details at HistoryDetectivesGR.org. Direct all questions to historydetectivesgr@gmail.com.


ReadMichigan.org Read Michigan winter

Find Your Next Winter Read on ReadMichigan.org

Looking for something to read during the cold winter months? Be sure to check out the selection of titles on ReadMichigan.org. ReadMichigan is the Library of Michigan's eBook platform that includes a wide-selection of fiction and non-fiction titles that connect with the Great Lakes state. All ReadMichigan titles allow for immediate access, with no wait lists or holds.

ReadMichigan.org cooperative effort between Library of Michigan, Michigan Humanities, and the presses of University of MichiganMichigan State University, and Wayne State University


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Donate to the Collections of the Library of Michigan

The Library of Michigan actively accepts additions to its collections and holdings. Find more information on the types of items accepted at www.Michigan.gov/LibraryGift.

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