Montana Library Association

What Montana Library Association does

The Montana Library Association (MLA), legally Montana Library Association, Inc., is a 501(c)(3) statewide non-profit professional membership organization headquartered (via a PO Box in Arlee) and operating exclusively in Montana. It serves over 600 members across the state's library ecosystem, including active librarians, retired librarians, library trustees, friends of libraries, and library students. MLA's core function is to provide professional development, advocacy, networking, and continuing education for the Montana library community through three divisions (ASLD academic/special, PLD public, SLD school) and a calendar of recurring events led by the annual conference (the 2026 edition scheduled April 15-18 in Great Falls), the Fall Retreat at Chico Hot Springs, the SLD Retreat, and the Offline technology-focused conference each February.

MLA monetizes through a layered revenue model: individual membership dues ranging from $25 (students) to $125 (commercial) with active librarians at $60, six tiers of institutional memberships priced $300 to $4,000 that bundle bulk staff access, complimentary conference registrations, and legal support, a five-level corporate sponsorship ladder from $1,000 (Copper) to $25,000 (Platinum), conference and event registration fees, newsletter advertising in the bimonthly Montana Library FOCUS ($10-$125 per placement), and grant administration (not grant income) for member-facing programs. The underlying technology stack is modest: Wild Apricot membership software handles the website, member database, event registration, and communications. Distribution is direct-to-consumer via www.mtlib.org, with no third-party resellers, supported by a member-recruitment apparatus of division chairs, Directors at Large, and a Membership Committee, plus regional local area library groups.

MLA also serves an institutional advocacy function: it sponsors chartered liaisons to the American Library Association (ALA), Pacific Northwest Library Association (PNLA), and Mountain Plains Library Association (MPLA), with the State Librarian sitting ex officio on its Government Affairs Committee. Programs include the Cates Scholarship, Annual Conference Grants ($150 each), Professional Development Grants (up to $600 against a $1,200 annual budget), Leadership Institute Grants, Jane Lopp New Trustees Travel Grants, $500 Intellectual Freedom micro grants, and a Montana Library Assistance Helpline. The Executive Director, Kirk Vriesman, manages operations, fiscal administration, and conference execution.

Name

Montana Library Association

Legal name

Montana Library Association, Inc.

Website

https://mtlib.org

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Montana Library Association is a 501(c)(3) statewide professional membership organization serving over 600 Montana librarians, trustees, students, and library supporters through continuing education, advocacy, grants, and recurring conferences and retreats.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Association Services

NAICS

Professional Organizations (81392)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Libraries, Archives & Special Collections (BPAGAHAF)

Keywords

• Professional library association
• Library advocacy services
• Continuing education programs
• Library professional development
• Membership association services

Headquarters

HQ city

Arlee

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: Annual membership dues collected from individual members including active librarians ($60/year), students ($25/year), trustees and friends ($40/year), and commercial businesses ($125/year). Also includes institutional memberships at various tier levels ranging from $300 to $4,000 based on staff size and included benefits.
2. Conference Registrations: Revenue generated from annual conference registrations and event attendance. The 2026 MLA Annual Conference is scheduled for April 15-18 in Great Falls.
3. Sponsorships: Corporate sponsorships at five levels: Copper ($1,000), Bronze ($5,000), Silver ($10,000), Gold ($15,000), and Platinum ($25,000). Sponsors receive benefits including memberships, conference registrations, and logo placement.
4. Advertising Revenue: Revenue from advertising in Montana Library Focus newsletter, with rates based on ad size: full page ($125), half page ($75), quarter page ($40), classified ads ($10).
5. Grants: The association administers grants for professional development including Annual Conference Grants ($150 each, 10 available), Fall Retreat Grants ($100 each), Professional Development Grants (up to $600, $1,200 annual budget), and Leadership Institute Grants ($1,000 budget per institute).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

The Montana Library Association is a 501(c)(3) statewide professional membership organization serving over 600 librarians, retired librarians, trustees, friends of libraries, and library students in Montana. It delivers tiered individual and institutional memberships, annual conferences and retreats, professional development grants and scholarships, advocacy before the Montana Legislature, and publications including the Montana Library Focus newsletter and the Wired-MT listserv.

Product overview

Montana Library Association is a statewide professional organization serving librarians, retired librarians, trustees, friends of libraries, and library students in Montana. The organization provides a unified suite of member services centered around its website (mtlib.org), the bimonthly Montana Library FOCUS newsletter, the Wired-MT email listserv, and the Montana Library Assistance Helpline. Professional development offerings include the Annual Conference, Fall Retreat, Offline Technology Conference, and SLD Retreat. The association also supports members through grants and scholarships including Annual Conference Grants, Professional Development Grants, Leadership Institute Grants, and the Cates Scholarship. Advocacy services include representation to national associations (ALA, PNLA, MPLA) and lobbying efforts before the Montana Legislature.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Membership Programs
• MLA Annual Conference Annual conference providing continuing education workshops, networking opportunities, and business meetings for Montana library professionals, trustees, and friends of libraries. The 2026 conference is scheduled for April 15-18 in Great Falls, Montana.
• MLA Fall Retreat Annual leadership retreat held at Chico Hot Springs providing professional development and networking opportunities in an intimate setting for Montana library professionals.
• Offline Technology Conference Technology-focused conference held every February, planned by the Offline Committee, offering continuing education credits and programs on library technology trends and implementations for Montana library professionals.
• SLD Retreat School Library Division retreat providing professional development and networking opportunities specifically for school librarians in Montana.
• MLA Grants and Scholarships Program Comprehensive grants and scholarships program for MLA members including Annual Conference Grants ($150 each, 10 available for members traveling 50+ miles), Jane Lopp New Trustees Travel Grants ($50 each), Fall Retreat Grants ($100 each), Professional Development Grants (up to $600 per individual, $1,200 annual budget), and Leadership Institute Grants ($1,000 budget per institute) supporting members' professional growth.
• Cates Scholarship Scholarship program named after Sheila Cates supporting library professionals and students in Montana with their professional development and education expenses.
• Intellectual Freedom Committee Micro Grants $500 micro grants supporting Montana libraries with programming related to intellectual freedom, including Banned Books Week programs, guest speakers, and community events.
• Montana Library FOCUS Newsletter Official bimonthly publication of the Montana Library Association published six times yearly (February, April, June, August, October, December) distributing news of association activities, library news, and feature articles. Also accepts paid advertising at rates of $125 full page, $75 half page, $40 quarter page, and $10 classified ads.
• Montana Library Assistance Helpline Resource providing assistance and support services to Montana libraries, accessible to members for help with library-related questions and issues.
• Wired-MT Listserv Email discussion list and communication platform for Montana library professionals to share announcements, discuss library topics, and request assistance with library and patron-related matters.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 600 members representing librarians, retired librarians, trustees, friends of libraries, and library students
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments8 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Montana State LibrarycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMLA works closely with the Montana State Library in offering programs, continuing education opportunities, promotions, and services for the benefit of all types of libraries throughout Montana. The State Librarian serves as an ex officio member of the Government Affairs Committee and participates in legislative planning.
• American Library Association (ALA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMLA sponsors a liaison to ALA and maintains institutional membership. The MLA ALA Chapter Councilor serves as a non-officer Board member of ALA for a three-year term, representing Montana's interests in the national association and communicating national initiatives back to Montana members.
• Pacific Northwest Library Association (PNLA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMLA sponsors a liaison to PNLA who serves as a non-officer Board member of PNLA for a three-year term. The representative forms a liaison to interpret the wishes and policies of MLA to PNLA and vice versa, and reports on activities within the state at PNLA Board meetings.
• Mountain Plains Library Association (MPLA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMLA sponsors a liaison to MPLA who serves as a non-officer Board member of MPLA for a three-year term. MPLA represents 12 states including Montana and holds joint conferences. The representative keeps MLA informed of MPLA activities and advocates for Montana committee appointments.
• Montana Book CompanyminorOthersA Bronze-level sponsor of the Montana Library Association, providing support for MLA programs and events.
• Bozeman Library Friends and FoundationminorOthersA Bronze-level sponsor of the Montana Library Association, supporting library programs and professional development.
• Flathead Library FoundationminorOthersA Bronze-level sponsor of the Montana Library Association.
• Missoula Public Library FoundationminorOthersA Bronze-level sponsor of the Montana Library Association.
• Billings Public Library FoundationminorOthersA Bronze-level sponsor of the Montana Library Association.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Public Library Association (PLA): A division of ALA serving public libraries, directly corresponding to MLA's Public Library Division (PLD). Comparable training, advocacy, and conference offerings for the public library segment of MLA's membership, operating at national scale.
• American Association of School Librarians (AASL): A division of ALA serving school librarians, paralleling MLA's School Library Division (SLD). Comparable niche-membership and continuing-education model for K-12 library staff, operating at national scale with overlapping learning standards and conference programming.
• American Library Association (ALA): National umbrella library association. MLA sponsors a three-year liaison to ALA and maintains institutional membership, making ALA the macro-level peer with overlapping advocacy, conference, publishing, and member-service functions operating at much greater scale.

Direct peers

• Wyoming Library Association: Statewide professional library association serving Wyoming librarians, trustees, and library supporters with a directly comparable membership, conference, and advocacy model to MLA, operating at the same scale in a neighboring rural state.
• Colorado Library Association: Statewide professional library association for Colorado offering similar member-segment structure (active, student, trustee, institutional), annual conference, and legislative advocacy program; relevant peer benchmark for MLA's institutional membership and event pricing strategy.
• Idaho Library Association: Statewide professional library association for Idaho with a parallel structure — individual/institutional memberships, annual conference, advocacy, and continuing education — and a directly comparable scale and member-segment mix.

Regional players

• Mountain Plains Library Association (MPLA): Twelve-state regional library association representing Montana and surrounding Mountain/Plains states. MLA sponsors a liaison who serves on the MPLA Board and reports back; MPLA's joint conferences and multi-state structure make it a direct regional structural peer.
• Pacific Northwest Library Association (PNLA): Multi-state regional library association where MLA holds a formal three-year liaison seat. PNLA operates a parallel conference, awards, and member-benefit model at the regional level for Pacific Northwest states — structurally analogous to MLA but with a broader geographic mandate.

Emerging players

• Association of Rural and Small Libraries (ARSL): National association focused on rural and small libraries — a key segment of MLA's Montana membership base. Overlapping audience and conference programming, though ARSL operates nationally rather than at the state level and competes for the same rural library audience MLA serves.

Others

• Montana State Library: Montana's state library agency; while a government entity rather than an association, MLA's official 'Strategic or Co-development Partner' relationship and the State Librarian's ex officio seat on MLA's Government Affairs Committee makes it the closest institutional peer in-state.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/montana-library-association

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Montana Library Association