May 2000 issue
VLA Council Meeting
The VLA Council met in Charlottesville on April 7, 2000. President Carolyn Barkley called the meeting to order and the minutes of the February 11 meeting were approved.
Linda Hahne, Executive Director, presented both the Treasurer's and the Executive Director's report. VLA's total income for the year as of April was $118,088. The Paraprofessional Forum has already obtained $37,053 towards its conference and the Annual Conference fund has collected $2,000 towards exhibit booths. Legislative donations are at $16,565 and are still being received. Membership dues are at $56,053, slightly lower than budgeted but there have been some non-renewals. The expense budget is running smoothly with a total to date of $46,481. Expenditures have not come in yet for the Paraprofessional Conference but some money has been paid for the conference center and speakers for the Annual Conference. Extra money from the membership incentive line item has been spent to cover the cost of membership packets mailed to new and renewing members.
The total membership of VLA is now at 1,016. This includes 856 renewals and 160 new members. There were 321 non-renewals and these former members are now no longer receiving VLA publications; however, if any do renew this year, back issues will be sent to them. There were 20 registrations for Federal Legislative Day to date and 21 scholarship application forms were mailed. Linda also reported that a contract was officially signed with the Richmond Holiday Inn for the VLA Annual Conference on October 17-19, 2001.
VLA's Legislative Liaison, Phil Abraham, gave his report on the legislative session. He was pleased to announce that it was the best session since he has been liaison with our primary goal of full funding reached. Infopowering was funded at $4.7 million and the Library of Virginia received one extra position to support it. The Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission (JLARC) will review the state aid formula this year and address the issue of the geography cap. UCITA will become a law but has been delayed one year for further study. VLA will be part of the study and can have one representative on the committee. Carolyn Barkley thanked Sam Clay as well as Janis Augustine and the Legislative Committee for their hard work.
The Council meeting was attended by two visitors from the Library of Virginia, Kip Campbell, Director of Collections, and Conley Edwards, State Archivist. They presented the LVA staff proposal to change the current circulation policy so that books published before 1925 would no longer circulate. (All materials would still be available for use within the library itself.) Currently the cutoff date is 1900. More recently published books also may not circulate if they are rare, damaged, autographed or very costly. The Library staff made this recommendation based on the amount of money spent replacing lost and damaged books published between 1900 and 1925. After considering this proposal the Library of Virginia Board suggested that the staff consider a more recent date, perhaps 1945, and also solicit opinions from groups such as VLA. After some discussion, VLA Council agreed that it would support a change in circulation restriction to the year 1925 but would highly disagree with a more recent date. The LVA Board will vote on a proposal in June and the decision will become effective next January.
In administrative news, Carolyn reported that every Council position has been filled for this year. Some administrative changes will be made in the fall to help facilitate assigning Council positions in the future. Currently, the second vice president takes office at the conclusion of the Annual Conference along with the new president. This leaves little time for the incoming VP to appoint people to committees and insure the transfer of work before the Leadership and Program Planners Workshops. In the future the second vice president will continue to serve until January 1 of the next year and will work with the incoming 2nd VP to make committee assignments. The secretary will assume office at the Executive Committee's planning retreat, rather than at the end of the Annual Conference. The transfer of the treasurer's duties will remain unchanged. The treasurer takes office on January 1.
The VLA Executive Committee presented a resolution that endorses the goals of Read Aloud Virginia. A VLA member will be a representative on the Read Aloud Virginia Board and VLA will assist in promoting RAV's activities. Council endorsement of the Executive Committee's resolution was passed.
Morel Fry, Conference Committee Chair, presented the 2000 proposed Annual Conference budget. The budget shows a net revenue of $17,500 but this is more of a wish than a goal. Unexpected changes could greatly affect this figure. It was noted that the Association is not trying to make a profit at the expense of its members. The registration fee for the conference has not been raised in many years and cost savings have been realized through effective negotiations with conference hotels and centers on the price of lodging and facilities. The VLA Council approved the proposed budget.
Sandra Heinemann, Past President and Chair of the Nominating Committee, presented the slate of candidates for VLA office: Iza Cieszynski and Chuck Koutnik for Vice President, and Janis Augustine and Keith Weimer for Secretary. Ballots will be distributed in late August or early September. Sandy noted that petition candidates are accepted.
President-Elect, Cy Dillon, reported that the Executive Committee discussed whether a New Members Forum is needed. Cy chairs the Membership Committee this year and it has been suggested that this committee could assume the responsibilities of the former New Members Round Table. Cy then presented three ideas which the Membership Committee could pursue: a session for new members at the Annual Conference to address career development; a list of mentors who would work with new members; and a challenge to library directors to pay the membership dues for one new paraprofessional a year so that more library staff could see the benefits of VLA membership. The VLA Council voted on and passed a motion that the New Members Round Table be disbanded and its duties assigned to the Membership Committee.
Susan Keller reported on the progress of the Awards & Recognition Committee towards its designated agenda assignment to streamline the awards process. All awards, with the exception of the Jefferson Cup, will be listed in one brochure and all application forms will be held in the Executive Office so that no older versions will accidentally circulate. The Awards Committee will work with the Publications Committee to design an enticing new brochure. All awards will have the same application deadline of April 15 and the forms will have a standard look. All award winners will be announced in the VLA Newsletter and award presentations will be split between the Thursday and Friday general sessions at the Annual Conference. Although the process will be streamlined through the Executive Director's office, each committee will still have the pleasure of contacting its own winners.
Morel Fry presented the conference update. William Styron, author of Sophie's Choice, will be Friday's speaker and that session will be open to the public. Concurrent session proposal forms are starting to come in to the Executive Director's office and Linda Hahne distributed more forms. Linda noted that the conference hotel in Norfolk has changed its name from Clarion to Radisson.
Skip Auld, Chair of the Federal Relations Committee, promoted National Library Legislative Day to be held on May 1-2. The deadline for registering for the luncheon was extended and Skip reminded Council of the ALA session on Monday with details located on the ALA Washington Office website at http://www.ala.org/washoff. Mary Mayer-Hennelly, ALA Councilor, echoed the importance of Federal Legislation Day.
Following roundtable announcements, the meeting was adjourned at noon with the Executive Committee and region chairs remaining to meet over lunch. The next Council meeting will be held on June 9.
VLA Newsletter Needs
an Editor
After three years of very capable editorship, Mary Hansbrough will step down as VLA Newsletter editor in December of 2000. In order to fill the position by then the VLA Publications Committee will begin accepting applications for the position of Newsletter editor.
The VLA Newsletter editor is responsible for putting out ten issues of the Newsletter each year. The editor attends and writes a summary of VLA Council meetings, receives reports from other meetings, solicits occasional short articles and reports, maintains the VLA calendar, works closely with the VLA web editor, and gathers information for the "People & Happenings" section of the Newsletter. As a former editor, I can say that it's a great way to get involved in VLA and to get to know librarians around the state.
Candidates for editor should submit a letter of application outlining relevant qualifications, resume, and samples of writing/editing to Barbie Selby, VLA Publications Committee Chair, UVA Law Library, 580 Massie Road, Charlottesville, VA 22903-1789. Please e-mail or call Barbie with any questions at bms8z@virginia.edu, (804) 924-3504.
-- Barbie Selby, Chair, VLA Publications Committee.
New Virginia
Libraries Editor Appointed
Andrea Kross, of Christopher Newport University, has been appointed the new Virginia Libraries editor. Andrea was hired as the Assistant Catalog/Reference Librarian at the Captain John Smith Library in 1996, and in 1999 was promoted to Catalog Librarian. She edits CNU's library newsletter, Bookends, and, together with Amy Boykin, presented a concurrent session program at the VLA Annual Conference on how to create library newsletters in print format and how to translate them for the web.
Andrea graduated from the University of Alberta and received her M.L.S. from Dalhousie University. Andrea's attention to detail has already benefited the VLA Publications Committee, and will be invaluable to her in her new duties. She's been a wonderful and active member of the Committee and will bring her enthusiasm to Virginia Libraries.
Should you want to get in touch with Andrea with article ideas her e-mail address is: akross@cnu.edu.
We'd also like to take a minute to thank Cy Dillon for his excellent leadership during his tenure as Virginia Libraries editor. Of course, Cy will continue to serve VLA as Vice-President/President-Elect. Cy took over the magazine during a particularly challenging time when the publication underwent a much debated title change -- some of you might remember that it was formerly entitled Virginia Librarian. Cy helped keep Virginia Libraries among the forefront of state association journals. He oversaw the inclusion of VL in the Virginia Tech Digital Library and Archives project, ensuring web access to the journal. Those who wrote for Virginia Libraries during Cy's editorship know him as an excellent editor, whose goal was to make your writing sound like you, only better.
Thank you, Cy. And welcome, Andrea!
--Barbie Selby, Chair, Publications Committee
People &
Happenings
Mary Carole Lynch has joined Hofheimer Library at Virginia Wesleyan College as a Reference Librarian.
Scottie Cochrane, Dean for Library & Learning Services at Marymount University, has accepted the job of Director of Libraries at Denison University in Granville, Ohio effective August 1, 2000. Her last day at Marymount will be May 5, 2000. Ohio's gain is certainly Virginia's loss. Scottie has served VLA as President and ALA Councilor to name only two roles. Scottie will be missed for her enthusiasm, thoughtfulness, and good sense. She writes: "The past twenty years in Virginia and VLA form the core of my professional and personal life, and I'm grateful for the professional and personal opportunities I've had at VCU, Virginia Tech, and Marymount. I've learned a lot, and am very grateful for the support all of you have provided. Most of all, I'm enriched by the lifelong friendships I've made here.... I shall miss you and living in the big city - but Louis and I are very excited about starting a new life in an absolutely charming college town 25 miles east of Columbus - the heart of library land." Scottie can be reached at Doane Library, Denison University, Granville, Ohio 43023.
The University of Virginia’s Alderman Library has received a collection of more than 250 letters, photographs and tintypes, and school documents that comprise the family papers of Benjamin Franklin Yancey, one of the first black educators in central Virginia and for whom the current elementary school in Esmont is named. The documents, recently discovered in the attic of a boarded-up house about to be torn down in Albemarle County, offer an extensive picture of early African American education in Virginia.
The Read Along Program conducted by the Atlee High School Honor Society at the Atlee Branch of the Pamunkey Regional Library has won an Act of Caring Award from the National Association of Counties. The Read Along Program is among 30 programs honored nationwide in the first ever Acts of Caring Awards presented by the Association. Since November 1997, Honor Society students have read aloud to children in the Children’s Section of the Atlee Branch Library two nights a week and on Saturdays. More than 100 honor students and 400 children have participated in the program. The Read Aloud program is recognized as an “Act of Caring” in which the partnership between the library and the students has helped create a community of young readers.
VLA Council Meetings
VLA Council meetings will be held in Charlottesville at the Northside Library on 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.
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
June 23
Changeweavers:
Collection Developers and Policy Writers for the 21st Century
Sponsor: Collection Management Forum
Place: Library of Virginia
Contact: Cathy Williamson
(757) 664-7346
October 19-20
VLA Annual Conference
Norfolk