April 2000 issue
Nominations for VLA
Office
The Nominating Committee is pleased to announce its proposed slate of candidates for the positions of Vice-President/President-Elect and Secretary. The nominees are:
Vice-President/President-Elect:
Iza Cieszynski, Newport News Public Library
Chuck Koutnik, Appomattox Regional Library
Secretary:
Janis Augustine, Salem Public Library
Keith Weimer, Virginia Union University
The nominees have submitted biographical and position statements for publication in this issue of the VLA Newsletter. Their experience and commitment will help provide strong and creative leadership for our association.
Candidates for VLA
Office
Vice-President/President-Elect
Izabela M. Cieszynski has been director of the Newport News Public Library System since November 1989. Prior to that she was Library Administrator/Assistant City Librarian for the Newport News Public Library System (1983-1989) and Resources Coordinator for the South Central Library System in Madison, Wisconsin (12/79-2/83). She holds a BA in French from the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh and an MALS from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She has been active in VLA since 1983 serving on the Committee on Library Development, the Legislative Committee, and as editor of the Virginia Librarian (87/88). She is also active in ALA having served as chair of the Public Library Systems Section Conference Program Committee of PLA and PLA’s Awards Committee, in the Virginia Public Library Directors’ Association and local community organizations.
Iza considers her participation on the VLA Legislative Committee as one of the most important activities she has participated in. She assisted with determining the need for and recruitment of the VLA legislative liaison and development of the three year phase-in program of fully funding the state aid formula for public libraries.
Statement: My experiences both in VLA and in my professional career have taught me one important lesson: no one person can do it all. Today’s thrust towards technology and cross usage of libraries dictates that we work together to achieve the goal of equitable access to information. This takes partnerships not only among and between different types of libraries but also among community and state-wide groups and agencies.
To achieve these partnerships we need to continue to build an active and knowledgeable membership. My goal will be to strengthen and enhance this and to build strong formal coalitions between like-minded institutions and organizations.
Chuck Koutnik has been the director of the Appomattox Regional Library since July 1996. Before that, he served in a wide variety of positions in several different types of libraries. He began his career in 1984 at the Staunton Public Library as head of the technical services department. He also worked in the cataloging departments of Radford University (1987 to 1989) and the Iredell County (North Carolina) Public Library (1989 to 1991.) His career as a public library director began in 1991 at the Buckingham County Public Library which during his tenure merged with the Prince Edward County Public Library to form the Central Virginia Regional Library. After serving as director of the regional library, he spent a year as a consultant for the West Virginia Library Commission before he returned to Virginia for his current position.
A native of Ohio, he has a BA in religious studies from Cleveland State University and an MLS from the Kent State University School of Library and Information Science. He also studied fine arts photography at the Cuyahoga Community College in Ohio and at the Maine Photographic Workshops in Rockport, Maine.
As a former member of VLA Council, he represented Region 2 and later the Public Library Section. He also chaired the Continuing Education Committee and is currently a member of the Legislative Committee. He has been a member of the American Library Association since 1984. A member of the Public Library Association's Workload & Staffing Patterns Committee, he is also on the Board of the Virginia Public Library Director's Association.
Active in his local community, he is a member of the Prince George Rotary Club, the board of Hopewell/Prince George Healthy Families, and served on the local task force that studied the effects of welfare reform. In the past he has been a member of local historical societies and local business organizations.
Chuck's wife, Kim Piner, is an attorney with the Attorney General's Office. His is enjoying a late entrance into fatherhood with two sons (a 2-year-old and a new baby born this spring.) They all live in Richmond, Virginia.
Statement: If you read the last paragraph of my biographical information you at least know I am brave. I hope the wisdom that comes with years will make up for the lack of physical energy in raising two sons in my fifties.
I also came to librarianship relatively late in life. I wads 33 years old when I graduated from library school. This has helped me appreciate the opportunities I have been given in the library field. There are no regrets. I am still amazed that our (or any) society supports an institution that encourages people to be individuals and to think for themselves. This is no given in history and still in many societies today. I feel privileged to be part of the library profession.
There are so many issues before libraries and they change all so rapidly. One constant I have observed since becoming a librarian is that libraries are still administered, staffed, and used by human beings. The people are always the most important. I am interested in the people issues that sometimes pull us apart. As VLA president I would work towards making sure that the Association is for all people who work in libraries. This includes professional librarians, paraprofessionals, boards of trustees, friends groups, and all others who are helping libraries. I would encourage more institutions to whenever possible pay for memberships of all those who work towards the mission of their libraries.
Personnel issues are always with us in libraries. This would be the theme of my presidency. We are all smart people who somehow move forward with every technological change. In library school I worried about being able to use computers. I don't worry about that anymore. In library school I worried about managing people. I still worry about that. All of the technological issues have changed. The personnel issues have not. That tells me something.
Of course, all of the other issues will be there during the coming years. And these will require leadership. Acceptable use of the Internet, freedom to read and access information, the emergence of e-books, receiving the funds we need to provide services and recruit people to the librarian profession, copyright issues including frightening acronyms like UCITA, and much more. These are all difficult issues and whoever is VLA president will have to deal with them just as each and every one of us will. And most of the problems will not be solved by VLA or in one year's time. All I can promise is to be a leader who to the best of his ability helps us deal with the issues before us.
Janis Augustine is a native and lifelong resident of Roanoke. She graduated in 1974 with a bachelor of arts degree in classical studies from the College of William and Mary. In 1975 she received a master's degree in library science from Case Western Reserve University, and was elected to Beta Phi Mu.
She began and has continued her professional career with the Salem Public Library. She was hired in 1975 as the only certified librarian on staff at that time and became director of the library in 1979.
Janis has been a VLA member since 1976 and has served as either Vice-Chair or Co-Chair of the Legislative Committee since 1998. Over the years she has been treasurer, a board member, vice-president and president of the Roanoke Valley Library Association and also secretary and a board member for SWING.
Statement: The Virginia Library Association is the only statewide organization representing all librarians and types of libraries. In this time of constant and rapid technological change, VLA provides the forum where all librarians can meet to discuss technology's challenges and opportunities. Because of technology, cooperation among all types of libraries is more critical than ever. I believe our very survival as a profession depends on it, and VLA has the opportunity to play a large role in fostering this cooperation.
In my 25 years as a librarian in Virginia, VLA has become ever more responsive to the needs of librarians and provides an ever stronger voice for the profession and its institutions. I want to participate in this continuing effort. In VLA, individual members can make a difference, and I think I can do so as secretary.
Keith Weimer is Public Services Supervisor (1999-present) and assistant professor (1997-present) at the L. Douglas Wilder Library and Learning Resource Center at Virginia Union University. Prior to joining the library, he interned at the Reference Desk of the University of Pittsburgh’s Hillman Library (1996-1997). Keith obtained his MLIS from the University of Pittsburgh in April 1997.
An active member of VLA since 1998, he has served as Region IV Chair and as a member of the Membership Committee. He has participated in meetings of the Richmond Academic Library Consortium (RALC) and the Virginia Independent Colleges and Universities Library Association (VICULA). He was also a member of ALA (1997-1999).
Statement: As a relative newcomer to Virginia, I’ve been most impressed with the initiatives taken by the library community in this state with respect to resource sharing, funding for libraries and the defense of intellectual freedom. I am also encouraged by VLA’s salary survey as the first step in pursuing higher salary standards for librarians and paraprofessionals. VLA has taken the lead in advocating many of these initiatives before the General Assembly. If elected to the Executive Council, I would be proud to participate in making decisions which would promote increased state funding for libraries accompanied by local control of access to library resources.
I have thoroughly enjoyed being a part of VLA Council and especially participating on the Membership Committee. I would be honored to be part of the Executive Council of such a growing, forward-looking organization.
VLA Awards
It’s that time again!! VLA awards. Start thinking now about someone you know that is really special in the world of Virginia libraries. The categories are listed below. Contact Susan Keller at (540) 825-8691 for a nomination form or for more information or visit the VLA web site at http://www.vla.org. A copy of the form is also available in this issue of the VLA Newsletter.
George Mason
An association-wide award to an individual or organization distinguished for advocacy of libraries and/or information access; for promotion of library service through exemplary performance and recognition by the public served; for creative application of the use of technology in development of programs resulting in a substantial increase in support of library and information services; for significant influence on attitudes of public or private officials who are in a position to support the improvement of libraries and information service.
Friends Award
Made annually for one or more Friends of the Library group in recognition of distinguished service to libraries or a library in Virginia. Equal consideration is given to small, medium, and large libraries; consideration is given to group activities, library, and community related activities on behalf of the library.
Trustee Award
This is an annual award to recognize distinguished service to a library or libraries in Virginia. The nominee may have served on local, regional, state or national levels. Equal consideration is given to trustees from small, medium, and large libraries. The award may be submitted by a librarian, trustee, board member or VLA for distinguished accomplishments and contributions to library development.
Honorary Life
Membership Award
Eligibility is confined to trustees or former trustees, Friends of Virginia Libraries, and Virginia librarians who have held membership and who have made outstanding contributions to the Association.
Intellectual Freedom Update
Rockingham County & “Read a Banned Book” Pamphlet
Many of you probably have read about the Rockingham County English teacher who had posted the American Library Association’s “Read a Banned Book” pamphlet on his classroom door for many years. This fall, a parent walking by his room saw the pamphlet and lodged a complaint with school officials. The high school principal ordered the teacher to take the pamphlet down. The teacher, four high school students, and five groups representing libraries, booksellers and authors filed suit in federal court, alleging that banning the banned books list violated their First Amendment rights. In response to the lawsuit the school board asserts that the teacher and others have no grounds to sue and that the teacher had not exhausted his administrative remedies available to resolve the dispute. The American Civil Liberties Union is participating on the teacher’s behalf, claiming that the principal violated the First Amendment rights of the teacher by forcing him to remove the pamphlet. A Richmond Times Dispatch editorial about the issue concludes -- “Posting a list of banned books seems like a thoughtful way to achieve a central goal of English education, which is to foster the discernment of literary merit, writing quality, and the power of ideas. Students could, on their own, dip into some of the works and judge them for themselves. Pulling the list gains nothing – except, in this case, a bunch of legal fees.” (1/10/00, p. A10). For another article about this case, see “Teacher Fighting Ban on Banned-Book List” (Washington Post, 1/14/2000, p. B7).
Loudoun County Update
At its January meeting, the Board of Trustees of the Loudoun County Library voted 5-3 to reinstate the American Library Association’s Bill of Rights and Freedom to Read statement. A former trustee, who urged the board to reinstate the policies, reminded the board that the anti-censorship statements had been deleted from library policies specifically to allow the removal of certain items from the library. The former trustee credited vigilant citizens and some trustees with preventing such censorship from taking place.
Filtering Bill Clears
House Science and Technology, But Does Not Pass By Session End
The House Science and Technology Committee voted 12-10 in early February to send House bill 291 to the full House of Delegates. The bill would require public schools that offer access to the Internet to filter obscene materials, child pornography, and other items deemed harmful to juveniles. It also would have required that local school boards report their compliance with the bill’s requirements annually to the Superintendent of Public Instruction. The bill passed the full House (59-39 vote) and was sent to the Senate. After some deliberations and amendments were offered, the Senate recommitted the bill to the Senate Education and Health Committee, where it remained at the end of the session.
The measure was sponsored by Del. Richard H. Black (R-Loudoun), who commented that “the time has come to do something. ... If we cannot at least protect children from harmful materials, then something is drastically wrong.” According to Del. Black, approximately 80 percent of schools currently use some sort of filtering, but there is no statewide uniformity (Richmond Times-Dispatch, 2/5/00, p.A6).
Most Challenged
Children’s Books for 1999
A list of the most challenged children’s books for 1999 appears in the March 2000 issue of American Libraries. The list also appears at the American Library Association web site (http://www.ala.org/bbooks/challeng.html#mfcb). As you might expect, the Harry Potter series tops the list for 1999.
ALA Internet Tool Kit
The American Library Association recently released an
Internet Toolkit (“ALA Unveils Internet Tool Kit on Net Policies,” Library Journal, 2/15/00, p.107). The “Libraries and the Internet Toolkit,” a
paper and web-based packet, explains
ALA policies, lists best practices, offers advice on handling tough questions,
and provides sample speeches and letters.
The toolkit is available at http://www.ala.org/internettoolkit.
Arizona House Rejects
Filtering Software on State-Owned Computers
The Arizona House has rejected a proposed state law that would have required that all government entities, including public colleges and universities, install anti-pornography filters on their computers. The Arizona bill is similar to a bill passed in Virginia that currently is being challenged in court. A discussion of the Arizona legislation and the results of the vote in the Arizona House appears in the “Information Technology” section of the Chronicle of Higher Education (1/26/00).
--Timothy L. Coggins, VLA Intellectual Freedom Committee
Romance Writers of
America Preconference
The Romance Writers of America is the national, non-profit writers' association for the women and men who write romance fiction. RWA's 20th Anniversary Annual Conference, Life, Love and the Pursuit of a Happy Ending, will be held in Washington, D.C. from July 26-29 and offers a special program just for librarians. Librarian's Day will take place at the Marriott Wardman Park Hotel on July 26 from 9:00 a.m. to 3:45 p.m. and will feature many award-winning authors. Afterwards, there will be a special librarians and booksellers reception for attendees of the program, and RWA's Literacy Autographing which is open to the public The cost is $30 which includes the price of lunch. Registration is limited to the first 100 librarians who sign up. To register, or to find more information about the conference, see the RWA website at http://www.rwanational.com/librarians_menu.stm.
Donated Supplies for
Libraries
Public libraries and libraries at schools and universities can receive new, donated supplies through a nationwide not-for-profit network. Corporations contribute their overstock products to earn a federal tax deduction, and the goods are then redistributed to nonprofit organizations and schools throughout the United States. Recipient groups must pay dues as well as shipping and handling but the merchandise itself is free. Members choose what they need from 250-page catalogs published every ten weeks. Recent donations include office and computer supplies, software, audio and video tapes, books, exhibit materials, toys, arts and crafts, janitorial supplies and holiday decorations. For more information about this program call the National Association for the Exchange of Industrial Resources at (800) 562-0955 or visit the Association's website at http://www.naeir.org.
Nell J. Chenault has been appointed as the Head of Media Resource Services at James Branch Cabell Library of Virginia Commonwealth University. She received her MSLS from the Catholic University of America and her BA in English language and literature from the University of Virginia. From 1987 until this promotion she has served as the operations manager of Cabell Library's Media Resource Services. Prior to that, she has held positions at J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College, Whittaker Medical International and VCU's Medical College of Virginia.
Rachel L. Frick has been appointed as the Assistant Head of Acquisition Services and Serials Librarian for the Virginia Commonwealth University Libraries. She received her MS in library and information science from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and her BA in English literature from Guilford College in Greensboro, North Carolina. Previously she has been the Outreach & Marketing Librarian at the Coastal Area Health Education Center in Wilmington, North Carolina, the Southeast Territory Sales Manager for the Faxon Company, and the Regional Service Representative/Mid-Atlantic Hospital Library Specialist for Readmore, Inc.
Robert K. Weber has been appointed librarian of the National Sporting Library. He holds an MS in library science from the University of Kentucky and an MS in American history from the College of William and Mary. Lisa Campbell has returned to the National Sporting Library as assistant librarian, a post she previously held in 1996.
Ginger Young is the new Director of the McGraw-Page Library at Randolph-Macon College in Ashland. She leaves a position as College Librarian for Human Resources at Virginia Tech. Before coming to Virginia, she was a reference librarian at the Science and Engineering Library of the University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, where she earned her MLS. and Ph.D.
The Norfolk Public Library reports several new appointments. Kimble David is the new Community Technology Specialist at the Park Place Branch. She worked for several years as a computer lab consultant at Old Dominion University. Ann Davis joins the Norfolk Public Library as a Librarian I in the Tech Services Department. She holds an MLS from Catholic University and a BS from East Carolina University. She has previously worked for Hampton University's library and in NASA's technical library. Amanda Hankin has assumed the position of Librarian I at the Barron F. Black Homework Center. She is a recent graduate of Catholic University's MLS program and earned her BA at King College. Eric Kuhn is now Librarian I in the Adult Services Department. He holds a master's degree in history and an MLS from the State University of Albany. He has worked as a research assistant in the Division of University Advancement at the State University of New York.
VLA Council Meetings
VLA Council meetings will be held in Charlottesville at the Northside Library on April 7 and June 9, and at the Main Library on September 15.
Library of Virginia
Board Meetings
The next Board meeting is scheduled for June 19 in Richmond.
April 14; May 5
Basic Serials
Cataloging Workshop
Sponsor: Technical Services & Technology Forum
Place: Library of Virginia; Virginia Tech
Contact: Althea Aschmann
(540) 231-9251
April 21
Managing Your Diverse
Workforce
Sponsor: Multicultural Forum
Place: Library of Virginia
Contact: Christine C. Dixon
(703) 323-3861
May 1-2
National Library Legislative Day
Washington, D.C.
May 5
Friends of Virginia Libraries (FOVL) Annual Meeting
Time: 10:00 a.m.
Place: Central Rappahannock Regional Library
Contact: Bill Whitesides
(804) 932-8261
May 22-23
Reaching for the
Stars: Success, Recognition, Professionalism
Sponsor: VLA Paraprofessional Forum
Place: University of Richmond
Contact: Wanda Brown
(540) 231-4887
or Clara Stanley
(540) 231-5926
June 22-25
Children's Literature:
Landmarks, Boundaries, and Watersheds
Sponsor: Children's Literature Association
Place: Hotel Roanoke
Contact: J. D. Stahl
October 19-20
VLA Annual Conference
Norfolk