1979

• April: A questionnaire was mailed to a random selection of academic and public libraries to determine interest in a Paraprofessional Forum within the Virginia Library Association.

• November: Approximately 100 responses were received. An organizational meeting was held at the VLA annual conference. The VLA Council passed the petition establishing the Paraprofessional Forum. Ron Kaminski, Fairfax County Public Library, was appointed Chair.

1980

• Chair: Ron Kaminski, Fairfax County Public Library

• December: Forum presented "The Paraprofessional and New Technology" at VLA Conference in Richmond. Speaker Roberta Miller, President of Resources, Inc. of Richmond, focused on how the role of paraprofessionals has changed because of the automation of many library processes.

1981

• Co-Chairs: Jean Marie Peet and Hope Yelich, Swem Library, College of William & Mary, Williamsburg

• May: The VLA Council endorsed a resolution encouraging active participation by paraprofessionals in VLA activities and programs.

• September 26: Forum presented "Staff Development for Paraprofessionals: Getting a Better Job and Getting Better at Your Job" at Boatwright Library, University of Richmond. A panel of speakers discussed the opportunities for paraprofessionals: Carol Parke, Head of Reference Department, Cabell Library, VCU; Dean Burgess, Director, Portsmouth Public Library; Beverly Bagan, Supervisor of Library and Media Services, Richmond Public Schools, Nolan Yelich, Director of Administrative Services, Virginia State Library.

1982

• Co-Chairs: Jean Marie Peet and Hope Yelich, Swem Library, College of William & Mary, Williamsburg

• May 14: Forum and JMRT co-sponsored "Career Planning and Options for the Professional and Paraprofessional Librarian" at the Federal Reserve Bank in Richmond. Speakers were Joan Giessecke, Ed Sawyer and Margaret Bennett.

• October: Forum presented "Continuing Education Resources for Paraprofessionals" at VLA conference in Virginia Beach. Speakers were Mary Grattan, J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College; Tom Hehman, Virginia State Library; and John Stewart, Virginia Beach Public Library.

1983

• Chair: Lee Adams, Central Rappahannock Regional Library

• April 15: Forum and JMRT co-sponsored "A Touch of Class(ification): Pay Equity in the Library Field Today" at Williamsburg Regional Library. A panel of speakers included Margaret Myers, Director of ALA's Office for Library Personnel and Training; Mary Williams, Personnel Coordinator, Fairfax County Public Library; and Michele Leber, President of Fairfax County Public Library Employees Association.

• November: Forum report published: "Who Makes What, Where, How: Library Paraprofessional Salaries in Virginia." Program on report topic presented at VLA conference at The Homestead in Hot Springs.

1984

• Chair: Anne Wiegard, Fairfax County Public Library

• A logo contest was held. Mike Cody (VCU) in collaboration with Myreen Nicholson (Norfolk Public) produced the winning design.

• June 14: Forum presented "Coping with Change" at Williamsburg Regional Library. Panel of speakers were: Dr. Walter Greggs, Chair of Department of Business Management, VCU; Teresa Edwards, Automation/Retrospective Conversion Librarian, Swem Library, College of William & Mary; and William Hubbard, Director of Library Division, Virginia State Library.

• November: Forum presented "Cases in Point: Working Applications of Different Automated Systems Used by Paraprofessionals."

1985

• Chair: Sharmee Seid, E.G. Swem Library, College of William & Mary, Williamsburg

• Forum added Members-at-Large to its Executive Board.

• May 23: Forum presented "Communication from Within and Without" at the Fairfield Area Library in Richmond. Speaker: Evelyn Lampart, Director of Richmond Employee Assistance Program.

• November: Forum and JMRT co-sponsored "Conflict Management" at the Homestead in Hot Springs.

1986

• Chair: Stella Pool, Jefferson-Madison Regional Library

• Forum presented "Paraprofessionalism: A Human Network" at the University of Richmond. Speakers were Carla L. Gregory, Administrator of Information and Copier Services at Reynolds Metal Co.; Deborah Dunford, Assistant to Library Director of Virginia Beach Public Library; and Mary C. Grattan, Associate Professor of Library/Media at J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College.

• November: Forum and JMRT co-sponsored "High Tech, High Touch, High Teach -- What Virginia Libraries Are Doing," presented by a panel of speakers: Anne Weigard, Circulation Coordinator for Fairfax County Public Library; Linda Wilson, General Reference Librarian at Virginia Tech; Mary Ellen Thomas, Information Science Librarian at Virginia Commonwealth University and Cindy Tufts, Systems Manager for Library Automation, Loudoun County Public Library.

1987

• Chair: Janice Ward, York County Public Library

• May: Forum presented "Paraprofessional Potpourri: Staff Development" at the Dumbarton Library in Richmond.

• November: Forum presented "Library Automation Market Place: A Current Observation" with Dr. Edwin Cortez, speaker, in Crystal City.

1988

• Chair: Debbie Wolcott, Virginia Beach Public Library

• May: Forum presented "Managing Change and Building a Support System" at the Dumbarton Library in Richmond.

• October: Forum and JMRT co-sponsored "Publishers and Librarians, Synergy vs. Anarchy" with speaker Patricia Glass Schuman in Norfolk.

1989

• Chair: Joan Berger, Newport News Public Library

• May 4: Forum presented "Working Relationships -- Dealing with the Public and Each Other" with Sharon Hurley, featured speaker, at Dumbarton Library in Richmond.

• November: Forum and JMRT co-sponsored "The Dynamics of Human Interaction."

1990

• Chair: Susan McFaden, Fairfax County Public Library

• May 18: Forum presented "Professionalism Is an Attitude: Self-Esteem in the Work Place" at the Henrico Government Center in Richmond. Speakers were Charity McDonald, Philip-Morris USA Research Scientist/Associate Librarian; Katherine Steffens, Secaucus New Jersey Public Library; Tom Wilkinson, Director of Learning Resources, New River Community College and Margo Daniels, Fairfax County Public Library.

• November: Forum and Personnel Practices co-sponsored "Coaching for Improved Job Performance" in Richmond. The Limits of Employee Counseling and Counseling Tools and Action Plans were addressed by Janice M. Gray, Tidewater Regional Coordinator, State Employee Assistance Service; Suellyn Hunt, Monroe County, NY, Library System and Dr. Robert Lewis, Director of Research & Program Development, Piedmont Geriatric Hospital.

1991

• Chair: Wanda Barden, Chesapeake Public Library

• May 17: Forum presented "Shaky Ground: Survival Skills for the 90's" with speakers Dr. Dick Dunsing and Dr. Ellis Hillmar of the Management Institute of UR at the University of Richmond.

• November 22: Forum, Public Relations and Outreach co-sponsored "Public Relations: It's Your Job, It's Everyone's Job" at the Homestead at Hot Springs. The speaker was Dawn Hansen Heller of DejaVu: Public Relations.

1992

• Chair: Joan Bissell, Fairfax County Public Library

• May 15: Forum presented "Changing Roles and Responsibilities" with speakers Kathleen Wiebel and Judith Hunt at the University of Richmond.

• November: Forum and Outreach Forum co-sponsored "Field of Dreams -- How you Gonna Keep Them Down on the Farm?" in Richmond.

1993

• Chair: Carolyn Tate, Boatwright Library, University of Richmond

• March: Forum, in conjunction with paraprofessionals from Tennessee, North Carolina and Florida, developed a proposal for a Paraprofessional Roundtable within the Southeastern Library Association (SELA) which was presented to the SELA Executive Council and passed on March 6, l993.

• First Two-Day Conference
  May 24-25: Forum's first two-day conference was held at the University of Richmond. "Future Unlimited: YOU Make It Happen" featured 12 workshops, 2 panels and 15 roundtables with Barbara Ford, Virginia Commonwealth University and Mary "Tinker" Massey (FL) as keynote speakers and Dr. John Tyson, Virginia State Librarian, as banquet speaker. Promotional materials, T-shirts and mugs with the VLAPF logo, were offered for sale. The program included representatives from the Virginia Library Association, Southeastern Library Association, American Library Association and the Council of Library/Media Technicians. 275 people attended.

• June/July: Developed a reciprocal agreement with both the New Jersey Association of Library Assistants (NJALA) and the New York State Library Assistants' Association (NYSLAA) to each send a representative to the VLAPF annual conference, and in turn the VLAPF would send a representative to their conference.

• October 30: Forum sponsored "The Other Librarians" with speaker Dr. John Berry, III, editor of Library Journal, at the VLA annual conference in Norfolk.

1994

• Chair: Linda Hahne, Norfolk Public Library

• May 23-24: Forum presented "Challenges for the Future: Vision - Leadership - Advancement - Professionalism - Foresight" offering 23 workshops, 1 panel and 16 roundtables with AnnaMarie Kahnast (NJ) and Ed Gillen (NY) as keynote speakers and Karen Williams, Serendipity by Design, as banquet speaker. The conference was held at the University of Richmond.

• October 28: Forum presented speaker Barbara DeLon, library personnel officer at UNC-Chapel Hill, at the VLA annual conference in Williamsburg. Her topic was "Plateauing and Other Career Challenges."

1995

• Chair: Sue Parham, Boatwright Library, University of Richmond

• May 22-23: Forum presented "From Shelflist to Database: Resources, Service, Personnel" offering 24 workshops and 16 roundtables with Meralyn Meadows (NC) and Larry Oberg (OR) as keynote speakers and Susan James, author of Foul Deeds, as author luncheon speaker. The conference was held at the University of Richmond. Evelyn Kimball Scholarship Award was first awarded.

• First Regional Conference
  October 5: Forum sponsored "The VLA and You: The Worth of Paraprofessionals in Libraries", the Forum's first regional conference, held in Region I at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg. Speaker Dianne Jones-Freeman, Professional Consultant from Counseling Associates of Southwest Virginia, Inc. presented "Communication and Assertiveness Skills for Paraprofessionals" and Linda Farynk, VLA President and University Librarian at Radford College spoke on "The Contributions of Paraprofessionals in Virginia Libraries and VLA." Conference coordinator: Clara Stanley, University Libraries, Virginia State and Polytechnical Institute, Blacksburg.

• November: Forum sponsored "Snowballs in the Bookdrop," a presentation on censorship and first amendment rights by speaker Will Manley, at the VLA annual conference in Roanoke.

1996

• Co-Chair: Elna Ann Mayo, Eggleston Library, Hampden-Sydney College, and Ona Turner, Knight-Capron Library, Lynchburg College

• May 20-21: Forum presented "Communication is the Key: Changes, Challenges, Choices", the Forum's fourth two-day conference, at the University of Richmond, which included 24 workshops, 16 roundtables and a fashion show luncheon. Joe Forsee, SELA president; Leanne Battle, former VLAPF Board member, were keynoters. John Berry, editor of Library Journal, was luncheon speaker. The winner of the Evelyn Kimball Scholarship Award was Kathleen Ward. This was also the first year for the Scholarship raffle. The recipient of the Outstanding Paraprofessional Award was Beth Perkins, and Linda Farynk received the Outstanding Supporter of Paraprofessionals Award.

• October 21: Forum sponsored Region II program at Longwood College in Farmville entitled "Enhancing the Paraprofessional Image". Elfreda Chatman and Caroline Parr, VLA President, Central Rappahannock Regional Library, were presenters. Program coordinators: Mary Fran Nash and Lydia Williams, Longwood College Library, Farmville.

• November 15: Forum sponsored "TB: Catch It: Team Building for Libraries" was presented by Meralyn Meadows, Stanly County Public Library, Albemarle, NC at the VLA annual conference in Richmond.

1997

• Co-Chairs: Susan McFaden, Fairfax County Public Library, and Diane Moore, Danville Public Library

• May 19-20: Forum presented "Today's Vision - Tomorrow's Reality", the fifth two-day conference at the University of Richmond. Keynote speakers were Carolyn Tate, Boatwright Memorial Library, University of Richmond; Ed Martinez, Editor, Library Mosaics. Author luncheon speaker was John D'entremont, Professor of History, Randolph-Macon Women's College. There were 23 workshops and 10 roundtables on a variety of topics. Ona Turner was presented with the Outstanding Paraprofessional of the Year Award and Bill Whitesides won the Outstanding Supporter of Paraprofessionals Award.

• October 6: Forum presented "Library Resources Through the Internet," a Region III program at Old Dominion University, Norfolk. Presenters were Stuart Frazer, Social Science Reference Librarian at Old Dominion University and Lisabeth Chabot, VLA President and College Librarian at Mary Baldwin College in Staunton. Coordinators: Carole Ray and Mona Farrow, Old Dominion University Library.

• October 30: Forum sponsored "Expanding the Boundaries: Partnerships That Pay" at the VLA annual conference in Crystal City. Presenters were Deane Collie, Danville Public Library; Karen Coleman, Fairfax County Public Library; Sally Reed, Norfolk Public Library.

1998

• Co-Chairs: Mary Fran Nash and Lydia Williams, Longwood College Library

• May 18-19: Forum presented "Making a Difference: A Shared Responsibility," the Forum's sixth two-day conference at the University of Richmond. The program included 24 workshops, 9 topic-oriented roundtables, the first annual Sunday evening picnic, tours of the four University libraries and a closing general session with Will Manley. Will Manley, author and columnist from Tempe, Arizona and Gene Kinnaly from Library of Congress were the featured keynote speakers. The Evelyn Kimball Scholarship Award was presented to Matthew Peltier, and Linda Hahne received the Outstanding Paraprofessional of the Year Award. Beth Perkins, VLAPF Treasurer for the past five years, received a Special Recognition Award at Tuesday's closing session.

• November 6: Forum presented "The Balancing Act: Time Management Issues that Impact Our Lives and Our Jobs" at the Central Branch of the Chesterfield County Public Library in Chesterfield, Virginia. This full-day workshop was the fourth regional mini-conference sponsored by the VLAPF. Featured speakers were Alice Phillips of Continental Health Promotions, Dr. Kieth Wright of the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and Sandy Heinemann, President of the Virginia Library Association. Coordinators: Bridget Clark, Claudia Covert, Mary Fran Nash and Lydia Williams.

1999

• Co-Chairs: Suzanne Leacy, Prince William County Public Library, and Don Socia, Reinsch Library, Marymount University

• May 17-18: Forum presented "Mastering the Challenges of the 21st Century," the Forum's seventh two-day conference held at the University of Richmond. The conference featured 24 workshops, 7 roundtables, the 2nd annual Sunday evening picnic and a closing Tuesday afternoon session. Dr. Dale Henry, President of Your Best Unlimited, Harriett Edmunds, Special Events and Volunteer Coordinator for the Library of Virginia, and Connie Elliott, Director of Tourism for Anderson County, Tennessee were the featured keynote speakers. The VLA Paraprofessional Forum Award winner was Nancy P. Bell from Longwood College Library and Patricia White from the Annandale Campus Library of the Northern Virginia Community College received the Outstanding Paraprofessional of the Year Award.

2000

• Co-Chairs: Wanda Brown and Clara Stanley, Virginia Tech

• May 22-23: Forum presented "Reaching for the Stars: Success, Recognition, Professionalism," the Forum's eighth two-day conference held at the University of Richmond. The conference featured 24 workshops, 14 roundtables, the 3 rd annual Sunday evening picnic and a closing Tuesday afternoon session. Mealyn Meadows, Administrative Assistant from Stanly County Public Library in Albemarle, NC and Stella Pool, Community Information Network Coordinator for Monticello Avenue, a division of the Jefferson-Madison Regional Library in Charlottesville, were the featured keynote speakers. The closing session featured Dr. Gwynn W. Ramsey, Professor of Biology, Curator of the Herbarium, Emeritus, at Lynchburg College in Lynchburg and "Folk Tale Enthusiast" and a drawing for raffle baskets in support of the VLAPF Scholarship. The Outstanding Paraprofessional of the Year Award was presented to Patricia Jones from the Wahab Law Library in Virginia Beach. The recipient of the VLAPF Scholarship was Claudia Covert.

• October 6: Forum presented "Bringing Paraprofessionals to the Forefront: Enhancing Your Career Potential" at the University of Virginia. Featured speakers were Antonio Rice, ITC Training Services Manager, UVA and Stella Pool, Jefferson Madison Regional Library, Charlottesville. Program coordinators: Marie Carter and Ophelia Payne, University of Virginia.

2001

• Chair: Susan Paddock, Virginia Beach Public Library

• May 21-22: Forum presented "Challenge Yourself: Expand Your Horizons," the Forum's ninth two-day conference held at the University of Richmond. The conference featured 24 workshops, 10 topic-oriented discussion groups, a Sunday evening welcome reception, a Monday night social with a "Mardi Gras in May" theme, and a closing Tuesday afternoon session. Anita Richmond Bunkley, best-selling author, educator, and motivational speaker from Houston and Sally Reed, author and Director of Norfolk Public Libraries were the featured keynote speakers. The closing session featured Bill Fiege from Longwood College and a drawing for raffle baskets in support of the VLAPF Scholarship. The VLA Paraprofessional Forum Award winner was Jason Brannan from Pamunkey Regional Library and Lydia Williams from Longwood College received the Outstanding Paraprofessional of the Year Award. VLA President, Cy Dillon, recognized two VLAPF Board retirees: Elna Ann Mayo, Hampden-Sydney College and Sue McFaden, Fairfax County Public Library. The VLAPF Scholarship was presented to Iris Taylor, Library of Virginia.

• September 28: Forum presented "Finding the Library Leader in You" at the Southwest Virginia Higher Education Center, Abingdon. Workshop presenter was Connie Elliott, Team Builder and Motivator, Lake City, TN. Program coordinators: Todd Eastridge and Joan Taylor, Washington County Public Library.

2002

• Co-Chairs: Mary Buckley, George Mason University and Mari-Jana Phelps, Prince William Public Library

• May 20-21: Forum presented "Tomorrow's Libraries: Are We Ready?" This is the Forum's tenth two-day conference held at the University of Richmond. The conference featured 26 workshops, 10 discussion groups, a Youth Services Institute mini-conference within the conference, a Sunday evening welcome reception, a Monday night social featuring a patriotic theme, and a Tuesday Author Luncheon. Joan Kenyon Woods, a motivational speaker, trainer, and coach from New York, was the Monday morning keynote speaker. The VLAPF Scholarship was awarded to Ophelia Payne from the University of Virginia and Mary Fran Nash at Longwood University received the Outstanding Paraprofessional of the Year Award. The Tuesday Author Luncheon featured Francis Wood, radio personality and author of seven books, and a drawing for raffle baskets in support of the VLAPF Scholarship.

• June/July: Forum proposed to the Virginia Library Association (VLA) that the annual VLAPF Scholarship be renamed. VLA approved the proposal and at a luncheon on July 31, 2002 in Blacksburg, the VLAPF Scholarship was officially renamed the Clara Stanley VLAPF Scholarship in honor of one of its long-standing Board members, Clara Stanley from Virginia Tech.

• September 20: Forum presented "Enhancing Your Leadership Potential" at Lynchburg Public Library with thirty-four attendees. The workshop presenter was Bill Fiege, Assistant Athletic Director for Development at Longwood University. Program coordinators: Ona Turner Dowdy, Lynchburg Public Library and Bridget Clark, Mary Fran Nash, and Lydia Williams, Longwood University.

2003

• Co-Chairs: Marion Eaton and Jean Martin, Virginia Tech

• May 19-20: Forum presented “Navigating the Challenges of the 21st Century,” the eleventh two-day conference to be held at the University of Richmond. The conference, dedicated to the memory of Clara Stanley, a long-standing VLAPF member since 1979, featured 25 workshops, six discussion groups, a Library Security Issues Institute mini-conference within the conference, campus tours, a Sunday evening welcome reception, a Monday night social featuring a 1950s theme, and a Tuesday Author Luncheon. Nolan Yelich, Librarian of Virginia, was the Monday morning keynote speaker. Tuesday’s Author Luncheon speaker was Henry Wiencek, author of The Hairstons: An American Family in Black and White and the upcoming An Imperfect God: George Washington, His Slaves, and the Creation of America. The Clara Stanley VLAPF Scholarship recipient was Steven Litherland from Old Dominion University. Anne Sheldon from Longwood University Library received the VLA Paraprofessional Forum Award. Janette Alsworth at the University of Richmond Law Library was the recipient of the Outstanding Paraprofessional of the Year Award. The scholarship raffle ticket sales raised over $1300 and the lucky winner of the grand prize, the framed P. Buckley Moss print, was Sharon Jackson of Washington County Public Library.

• October 3: Forum presented “PARAPROFESSIONAL: Is It a Job or a Career? … You Decide!” at the Newport News Public Library, Main Street Branch. The half-day program featured Elizabeth Johnson (The Johnson Group), Sue Knoche (Library Journal’s Paraprofessional of the Year), and Carolyn Tate (LSSIRT President). Program coordinator: Susan Paddock, Virginia Beach Central Library.

2004

• Co-Chairs: Mona Farrow and Carole A. Ray, Old Dominion University

• May 24-25: Forum presents “Virginia Libraries, Many Voices, One Song: Service,” its twelfth annual two-day conference being held at the Holiday Inn Select/Koger South Conference Center in Richmond, Virginia. The conference will feature thirty workshops, a Sunday evening Author Banquet with Sharyn McCrumb, a Teen Institute mini-conference within a conference, a Monday night social with a luau theme, and the first-ever Continental Breakfast/Town Meeting on Tuesday morning.