October 2000 issue
Reviewers Needed at Conference
Each year Virginia Libraries reports on the activities and sessions at the VLA Annual Conference. If you are interested in writing for Virginia Libraries and reviewing part of the conference in Norfolk, please contact VL editor Andrea Kross at (757) 594-8702 or akross@cnu.edu.
September Council Meeting
The VLA Council met in Charlottesville on Friday, September 15, 2000. President Carolyn Barkley called the meeting to order at 10:10 a.m.
Following the approval of the June 9 minutes, Treasurer Jeanette Friedman gave the budget report. VLA's income to date is $209,537 out of a budgeted amount of $250,350. Jeanette highlighted that investment income has exceeded the budgeted amount. The jobline is doing well as usual while membership dues have come in somewhat under budget. Jeanette also noted that the JLARC study was given a separate line item in the budget in order to better track its progress. On the expense side, VLA has spent $143,407 of the $240,350 budgeted for the year. Overall, the financial situation looks very good.
Jeanette also reported on the financial review process. VLA has a new investment councilor and a good reserve fund. Bids for a financial review went out to three CPA's; however, only one bid was returned. The Executive Committee decided to extend the deadline and make some more contacts in the hopes of having a choice in selecting a CPA.
Linda Hahne, in her Executive Director report, presented the current membership figures. VLA now has 1,142 members, a loss of 38 from 1999. All renewals received from this point will be applied to 2001. There were 217 new members in 2000 and 276 non-renewals.
Libby Lewis, Co-Chair of the Administrative and Management Forum, presented her committee's report on a minimum salary recommendation for MLS librarians in Virginia. The recommendation, approved by Council, is $32,500 plus necessary adjustments in urban areas of 10%. Libby noted that it was difficult to obtain information on new MLS hires because many libraries in Virginia are hiring librarians with experience. The Forum recommends that this figure be reviewed every two to five years. Paraprofessional Forum Co-Chair Wanda Brown reported that a survey was conducted at the paraprofessional conference in May and that their minimum salary recommendation is a work in progress.
VLA Webmaster, Steve Helm, described a demonstration website for Virginia legislative information which will soon be linked to the VLA web page. The site includes a directory to search for legislators by zip code, a guide to communicating with your legislators, information on the upcoming election, and more. To explore this site, go to http://stage.capwiz.com/vla. Steve also noted that VLA will replace its server later this year and is working on secure site technology which will enable online registrations for membership and conferences.
Jeanette Friedman gave an update on the VLA advertising plan. The plan was approved by Council at the June meeting but was passed to the Financial Committee for review. The Financial Committee advised that VLA seek advice on tax implications and passed the plan back to the Executive Committee.
Jeanette also reviewed VLA's planned giving and sponsorship plans. Both of these plans are in development. VLA is at a growth point as an organization and, as with the advertising plan, needs expert tax and legal advice about these new ventures. A mission statement, goals and policies are being developed for the planned giving program. The sponsorship plan will address how to identify sponsors and avoid duplicate requests to sponsors through communication between the Executive Director and program planners.
Ruth Arnold, 2nd Vice President, reminded forum and committee chairs to submit their annual reports to Nancy Newins at least one week before the annual conference. These reports are important both for the history of and future planning for the organization. The Executive Committee uses these reports at its annual retreat in December to help formulate the designated agenda for the coming year. Ruth also asked that chairs notify her regarding who is staying on and who is going off of each committee so that she can make new assignments.
Cy Dillon, President-Elect, wants to encourage library directors to buy a VLA membership for someone on their staff. Cy has paid for two paraprofessional memberships in his library. Cy also described the development of a VLA mentorship program. Volunteers with ten or more years of experience who hold a supervisory position would be invited to help new librarians develop their career. There will be a membership table at the conference this year and anyone who wishes to volunteer at the table should contact Cy.
Publications Committee Chair Barbie Selby presented a report on the preliminary investigation of the VLA archives at the Library of Virginia. It appears that VLA units and officers have not always been certain about what should and should not go into the archival collection, but the Administrative Services Committee's retention plan should help clarify that. The Committee looked primarily at boxes thought to contain photographs and found many pictures from previous conferences. Unfortunately many of the photos are not labeled and the small images on contact sheets are difficult to identify. The Publications Committee is developing a plan for a photo archive and will work with VLA photographer Pierre Courtois to document current pictures, as well as with the Library of Virginia to digitize older photos.
Ruth Kifer, representative on the UCITA Study Committee, summarized the events at the last meeting. Two small amendments to the act were proposed but both were defeated. The first proposed that UCITA not apply to library, archive or educational institutions engaged in circulation and other fair uses that are not prohibited by other law. The second proposed that in mixed transactions, such as the purchase of a print title accompanied by a disk, UCITA apply only to the computer information in the transaction and not the other subject matter.
Carolyn Barkley noted that VLA is formulating an official position on state aid to forward to the JLARC Study Committee.
The Conference Committee was disappointed to report that due to William Styron's ill health, he will not be able to appear at the annual conference as planned. Instead, his biographer James West will present a video of the speech that Mr. Styron would have given. The Program Planners' Workshop and the Council luncheon will be held on Wednesday, October 18, before the conference. Both incoming and outgoing chairs are invited to lunch. On Friday the 20th, the Norfolk Public Library is planning a "tunnel party" after the closing session as an alternative to leaving the conference during rush hour.
The Continuing Education Committee is sending a survey to large public libraries to inquire about facilities that could be used for VLA programs. The Committee plans to develop a list for program planners of available sites with information on capacity and fees. Please contact Barbara Rittinger if you would like to offer space in your library for VLA programs.
The Council meeting was adjourned at 12:15 following committee and forum announcements.
William Styron Speech
to be Presented on Video
The Conference Committee regrets that due to continued health concerns, William Styron will not be able to join us in person at the annual conference on October 20, 2000, as originally planned. At Friday’s closing general session, Mr. Styron’s biographer, James West, will introduce a video tape of the speech that Mr. Styron would have given had he been able to attend. In this speech he will talk about being a Virginian and how being one gave him the sensitivity to write about the issues in Sophie’s Choice. While we regret that Mr. Styron will be unable to come to the conference personally, we are pleased to be able to bring you his speech on video. This program is brought to the conference by a partnership with the Virginia Center for the Book, the Library of Virginia Foundation, and the Library of Virginia.
Library of Virginia
Board Meeting
The Library of Virginia Board met in Richmond on September 18. Among the items of interest the Archival and Information Services Committee reported that FY1999-2000 visitation totaled 133,989, a 12 percent decrease from the previous FY, and that website user visitation sessions have totaled 174,000 since July 1, 2000. The Library is in the early stages of selecting a new integrated library system to replace the current system, which dates from the early 1980's.
The Collection Management Services Committee reported that the government documents collection is larger than the general library collection.
The Legislative and Finance Committee believes that because next year is a budget off-year, only technical budget amendments will be permitted. This may have an adverse impact on the ability of the Library to carry out some of its responsibilities. Another disturbing development is the probability that there will not be any new funds for Library of Virginia projects to coincide with the Jamestown 2007 festivities. Some good news is that all state agencies, including the Library of Virginia, will have more flexibility to reward outstanding employee performance.
The Public Library Development Committe reported that an additional $600,000 will be needed to fully fund the State Aid formula in FY2001-2002. Also, the Public Library Development Division is assisting JLARC in its State Aid study. Approximately $450,000 will be available next year for public library construction projects through a grant process. The Gates Library Initiative is underway; workshops were held in mid-September. The timeline for the Initiative stretches well into 2002.
The Publications and Educational Services Committee reported that work on volume 2 of the Dictionary of Virginia Biography is proceeding nicely, with publication tentatively scheduled for next August.
The next Board meetings are scheduled for Richmond on November 13 and January 19.
--Alan M. Bernstein, VLA Observer to LVA Board.
ALA Issues
As a follow-up to last month’s brief summary about the ALA annual conference, I’d like to call your attention to three issues of interest to VLA members.
The first is the idea of an ALA Values Statement. At the conference, various drafts were not approved, primarily because they appeared to divide many within the library community versus uniting us as a profession. I’d welcome your opinions and can forward the drafts to you for comment.
The fact that electronic meeting participation is being carefully considered merits attention. At Midwinter, experimental sessions will be conducted and more information provided. If the idea of electronic meeting participation advances, should guidelines for ALA committee membership be substantially altered or should participation be merely considered peripheral support?
Last but not unimportant was the report about outsourcing presented to ALA Council. Although characterized as a modest, inexpensive study, the conclusions stated that no evidence was found that outsourcing and privatization had harmful consequences in terms of services delivered. However, many members expressed great concern about the use of outsourcing and the substitution of privatized resources for permanent library employees. Is this a philosophical or values issue or a tangible one? Federal librarians have reported the demise of established libraries and the trend to privatize their services. Please let me know how you view this issue or if you have been involved in outsourcing or an effort to privatize services.
I will forward my complete ALA Councilor’s report to anyone requesting it (email: mmayerh@npl.lib.va.us).
--Mary Mayer-Hennelly, ALA Chapter Councilor.
Library of Virginia
Award Winners
Agymah Kamau, Michael Kammen and Eleanor Ross Taylor were the winners of the 3rd Annual Library of Virginia Literary Awards presented on September 16 at the Library of Virginia. More than 220 books received nominations this year and eleven were selected as finalists. Award categories were fiction, non-fiction and poetry.
Agymah Kamau won the fiction award for his second novel Pictures of a Dying Man, which uses a rich chorus of voices to explore a man's life through the perceptions of others. Kamau, a native of Barbados, captures the lilting cadence of the Caribbean in this thoughtful and wise book.
Michael Kammen won the non-fiction award for Robert Gwathmey: The Life and Art of a Passionate Observer, a study of the Social Realist artist whose unsentimental pictures of African-Americans expose privilege and pretense and demand social change. Kammen is the author or editor of more than 20 books, including the Pulitzer Prize-winning People of Paradox.
Eleanor Ross Taylor is the poetry winner for Late Leisure: Poems. Her book features more than 50 poems full of whimsy, southern eccentricity and originality. Her poetry is unsentimental, spare, even quirky, but always warmly human. She graduated from the Women's College of the University of North Carolina in Greensboro, taught school briefly, then received a fellowship in writing at Vanderbilt University. Taylor is the author of four previous volumes of poetry.
The Library of Virginia literary awards are announced annually on the third Saturday in September. The Library of Virginia, the Virginia Center for the Book and the Library of Virginia Foundation sponsor the awards.
Scholarship and Grant
Opportunities
Each year the Medical Library Association offers a variety of scholarships and grants to enable practicing health sciences librarians to take advantage of opportunities for continuing professional development and to assist qualified students in pursuing their studies in graduate library science programs. Grant and scholarship applications must be received by December 1, 2000. For applications or other information, please contact the Professional Development Department at 65 E. Wacker Place, Suite 1900, Chicago, IL 60601-7298; (312) 419-9094; email: mlapd2@mlahq.org; website: http://www.mlanet.org.
People &
Happenings
Chrissie Anderson has joined the staff of the Bristol Public Library. Starting her MLS at the University of Tennessee this fall, Chrissie was awarded the prestigious Bound To Stay Bound Books Scholarship. This scholarship is only awarded to two applicants in the U.S. and Canada. There were over 600 applicants. In addition, she has received a Virginia Library Association Scholarship and SWING scholarship.
Dottie Evans has accepted the Library Specialist position in the Diehn Composers Room at the Old Dominion University Libraries effective September 25th. Dottie was previously at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy where she was a Circulation Technician for 6 years. She was also a Library Assistant at the Bennett Martin Public Library in Lincoln, Nebraska. She has held non-library positions as a telephone operator for AT&T, and Competitive Services Specialist for Southern New England Telephone.
Celestine DeLoatch has accepted a Library Assistant position in Circulation at the Old Dominion University Libraries effective September 10th. Celestine has been an Office Services Specialist in Circulation since 1998 and has been with the Old Dominion University Libraries since 1995. Prior to working for Old Dominion University, Celestine worked at Norfolk State University's library and the library at Virginia Wesleyan.
Tonia Graves has accepted the Electronic Resources Cataloger position at the Old Dominion University Libraries effective September 25th. Tonia has been the Standing Orders Assistant for Bibliographic Services since 1998. Prior to that she worked at the Windsor Woods Public Library and as a substitute Library Media Specialist in Virginia Beach. Tonia has her BA from Old Dominion University and her MLS from the Catholic University of America.
VLA Council Meetings
The next VLA Council meeting will be held in Norfolk at the VLA Annual Conference on October 18.
Library of Virginia
Board Meetings
The next Board meetings are scheduled for November 13 and January 19 in Richmond.
October 13
Serving the Under
Served: Library Services for Teens
Sponsor: Youth Services Forum
Place: Shenandoah County Library
Contact: Jennifer Heelen
(540) 984-8200, ext. 207
October 19-20
VLA Annual Conference
Norfolk