Celebrating VLA Scholarship Winners

The Virginia Library Association has been supporting aspiring librarians by providing scholarships since 1991. Celebrate this milestone with us at the 2016 Scholarship & Awards Banquet at the Virginia Library Association Annual Conference. The conference will be held October 26-28 at the Omni Homestead Resort in Hot Springs, VA. The 25th Annual Scholarship & Awards Banquet will be held the evening of Oct. 26. Tickets are $55. To register for the banquet, visit our registration page and log in. To learn about the current scholarship winners, visit the 2016 Scholarship Winners page. Check out the entries below to see where some of these winners are now.

Where are they now?

Zoe Dellinger

Zoe Dellinger was a VLA scholarship recipient in 2012. She is currently the Assistant Director of the Shenandoah County Library System. Here are her thoughts on winning the Clara Stanley scholarship:
Being awarded the Clara Stanley scholarship was a life affirming experience for me. It reassured me that I was on the right path and that my passion for librarianship was closer to being fulfilled. It was my desire to stay in the community where I grew up and give back in a meaningful way. After working in the library system for seven years, first as a volunteer, then as a branch manager and system-wide circulation manager, I became the assistant director in June 2015. Earning my MLIS and a graduate certificate in library management from The University of North Texas in 2012 prepared me well for the challenges of wearing many hats in a small rural library system. My responsibilities include collection development, maintaining financial and budgetary records, among numerous others, in addition to working daily shifts on the public service desk. I work with a dedicated group of colleagues and couldn't ask for a better professional life. I appreciate the VLA scholarship committee for assisting me in obtaining this opportunity. I currently serve on the VLA education committee and the 2016 conference committee and look forward to opportunities to give back in the future. I am also a farm girl at heart. Raising sheep and crafting/fiber arts are my other passions. Watch for another "knitting librarian" basket at this year's conference scholarship raffle!

Megan Hodge

Megan Hodge is currently a Teaching & Learning Librarian at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond. Since being awarded a VLA Scholarship in 2009, Megan has been an active contributor to VLA. In 2011, she co-founded the New Members Round Table Forum with Rebecca K. Miller, for which she was co-awarded the 2012 VLA Presidential Citation, and served as its chair and as a member of VLA Council until 2013. She also co-chaired the Doctor-Who-themed 2013 VLA Annual Conference; served as a member of the VLA Publications Committee; and has peer-reviewed proposals for VLACRL Conference-within-a-Conference. Megan has also been active locally as a member and now chair of the Richmond Academic Library Consortium (RALC) Public Services Committee. Nationally, Megan has been recognized by her inclusion in the 2011 cohort of ALA Emerging Leaders (an experience she wrote about with her fellow Virginian Emerging Leaders for Virginia Libraries) and by her election as ALA New Members Round Table (NMRT) Leadership Development Director in 2011, ALA NMRT President in 2013, and ALA Councilor-at-Large in 2015.

Shari Henry

Shari Henry won a 2008 VLA Scholarship. Here is what she has been doing since then, in her own words: The eight years since receiving the VLA Scholarship have flown by. The following year was a whirlwind of activity as I continued to write grants and help with programming support in Chesterfield County, serving briefly as an acting administrator of the community services division. In late 2009, I finished my MLS and landed my first librarian job working the reference desk and overseeing the Nonprofit Resource Center in Hopewell. I knew I wanted to advance my career and my heart was drawn toward leading, so I was thrilled when, five years ago, I was offered a job in Arlington managing one of the system’s busiest branches. I’m currently serving in an acting division chief role here in Arlington, and hope to continue learning and growing in the profession. I’ve been lucky enough to have served on a County-wide Diversity and Inclusion Committee (chairing it for a year), to have participated in Leadership Arlington, and to have received the County Manager’s Excellence Award. It has been an honor to serve as VLA’s 2nd Vice President for a term, and I enjoy chairing the Intellectual Freedom Committee now. I’m grateful beyond measure for the scholarship support and hope that I can continue to give back to the organization in at least some small ways for years to come.

Cheri Duncan

When Cheri Duncan was awarded the VLA Scholarship in 2007, she was working as the E-Resources and Systems Manager at James Madison University. Shortly after receipt of the scholarship, Cheri completed the Master of Library Science program at Texas Woman’s University. In December of that year, she was hired as a librarian at JMU into the Head of Acquisitions & Scholarly Content Systems Position. A couple of years later, Cheri relinquished her systems responsibilities to add the Metadata/Cataloging unit into her purview, becoming Director of Acquisitions & Metadata Services. In 2013, she received tenure from JMU and has served almost 25 years at JMU. Cheri is currently Director of Scholarly Resources & Discovery, which includes: Resource Access (previously Monographic Services, E-Resources, and Materials Budget Finance), Special Collections, Digital Collections, Preservation, and Collection Management.

Maryke Barber

Maryke Barber won a VLA scholarship in 2006. Here is what she had to say about the scholarship: The scholarship allowed me to finish my education at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, while I was already working in the library at Hollins University. Shortly after graduating, there was a wonderful opportunity for me to take a position here as a librarian. I worked in outreach, which is such a fun thing to do, especially on a small campus. Currently I’m the Public Services librarian, and a liaison to our arts departments. That means doing collection development, reference and instruction, so I am definitely using my VLA-funded education! I love learning new things, and I recently had a blast presenting what I’d learned about mindfulness in the library for colleagues at TILC. I have also continued my involvement as a VLA and VLACRL member, and I served as VLA Treasurer a few years ago. I enjoy attending the conference every year, and presenting if we’ve done something fun to share; most of all I enjoy catching up with colleagues and friends. The scholarship was a great opportunity, but it was only one of the many gifts I’ve received from VLA.

Julie Short

Julie Short won a VLA Scholarship in 2004. Here's what she had say about the scholarship: Receiving the VLA Scholarship opened exciting doors in my career as a professional librarian. After graduation, I found myself immersed in working with my peers in VLA with a special dedication to the Scholarship Committee. I am continuing my career at Lonesome Pine Regional Library and have enjoyed spreading my wings into all aspects of public service, from adult programming to summer reading implementation to library administration. And, yes, to at times, doing all those chores that you are never taught in library school — you know, like how to fix the toilet tissue holder and fill up that pesky, locked soap dispenser! On a serious note, I am very grateful to the Scholarship Committee members who believed in me and made my dream come true. I am blessed beyond measure to work in my happy place, the public library, and to have a relationship with comrades throughout Virginia who continue to support me along this extraordinary path as we open doors for those we so humbly serve.

Stella Pool

Stella Pool currently serves as the Community Network Coordinator at the Jefferson-Madison Regional Library in Charlottesville, VA. After being awarded a VLA Scholarship in 1993 and earning her MLIS in 1995, Stella worked in Children/YA Services at the Gordon Avenue Branch. She was promoted to her current position in 1998. As the community network coordinator, she manages the computer lab at JMRL’s Central Library and helps nonprofit organizations create websites on the Monticello Avenue Community Network. Stella feels that her current job is the perfect blend of working with technology and people. She especially enjoys helping computer novices gain confidence with their technical skills.
She started her tenure at JMRL as a paraprofessional in 1979, working as a substitute in Children’s Services and Circulation. Her long tenure at JMRL gives Stella a unique perspective on library services. Libraries and the profession have changed a great deal since 1979. Stella remembers when she was the one who answered the phone at the Circulation Desk and routed the calls. In the 80s, the library automated its catalog and installed computers for public use. Each new job responsibility taught her valuable lessons in camaraderie, customer service and the importance of keeping up with the trends.
Over the years, Stella has been a constant supporter of VLA. She feels that VLA has enabled her to grow both personally and professionally. She has served on numerous committees and encourages new members to volunteer for a committee. It’s the best way to get to know other librarians and form a network of colleagues and friends. Stella is also a faithful supporter of the VLA Scholarship Raffle. In addition to buying tickets, she contributes a basket to the raffle every year.