The Manitoba Library Association (MLA) is an incorporated, non-profit charitable organization. It was formed in 1936 as an association of library workers and library interests. Since 1936, MLA has provided advocacy, professional development and information sharing for its members from the printed member newsletter “Newsline” through the 1990s to the current member e-News and Listserv. MLA became a registered charity in 1978 and was incorporated in May 2009.
In 1938 a schools’ library section was formed within MLA. In 1970 this section developed into the MSLAVA (Manitoba School Library and Audio Visual Association) and in 1993 branched off to become its own association, the Manitoba Schools Library Association (MSLA).
In 1971 the Manitoba Association of Library Technicians (MALT) was established to promote and advance the role of library technicians in Manitoba. The organization provided professional development and networking opportunities, a job board, newsletters and awards within the library technician community.
In the 1970s, the Manitoba Library Trustees Association (MLTA) was established to be the voice for library trustees in Manitoba. MLTA worked to enhance the effectiveness of Manitoba’s public library boards, empowering them to advocate for changes in government library policies. MLTA also provided leadership in trustee education.
From 2015 to 2017, Manitoba’s various library associations met to discuss unifying the diverse library interest groups into a restructured and strengthened federated association. The result of this work was a newly imagined Manitoba Library Association that brought together the Manitoba Library Association (MLA), the Manitoba Association of Library Technicians (MALT) and the Manitoba Library Trustees Association (MLTA). MALT and MLTA ceased as associations and were incorporated within the MLA as divisions.
Today, the Manitoba Library Association advocates for libraries and library workers across Manitoba, and is a leader in professional development, advocacy and learning. The MLA coordinates and delivers a bi-annual library conference, communicates with members through an e-newsletter, oversees scholarships and awards and has working groups dedicated to issues such as advocacy and prison libraries.