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Charlottesville, VA April 16, 1999 Attending: Ginger Armstrong, Maureen Harrill, Sherry Inabinet, Diantha McCauley, Pat Muller, Sherry Pearson, Scott Phillips, Rebecca Purdy, Lorry Risinger Diantha called the meeting to order and began with regional reports. Region I Representative Sherry Pearson discussed a Mother Goose program provided in the region. Sherry also used the Mother Goose Time title recommended at the last meeting by Lorry. Songs and fingerplays are used to keep the young ones involved. Roanoke County held a "What Goes On At Night?" animal program. Roanoke City will hold its Second Annual Reading Day in June and will give out yo-yo's to everyone who attends. The mayor will read to the kids. Fish the Magish and Red Cross clowns will perform. A tie-dying program will be offered in the summer as well as a "Meet the Author" program. Washington County will offer a free book drawing. For its "Night of 1000 Stars," author Tim Bradley will visit. A "Read to Your Baby" time will be offered for those under two years of age. The Radford Public Library will not be using the state summer reading theme since it was used in the spring. This summer the library will be promoting a safari theme. A Homeschool Day will be offered as well as Family Music Time, a birthday party for Madeline, a fire safety program and three afterschool YA clubs (chess, book, and drama). Lorry Risinger reported on Region II news. Lorry highly recommended the Virginia State Reading Association Conference (VSRA) for public librarians. She attended the conference in Roanoke in March. Authors such as Jan Brett, Will Hobbs, and Jean Craighead George were among the presenters. Lorry is still searching for a second representative for Region II. Discussion ensued about how to encourage participation and how to help smaller libraries feel more involved. Lorry said that she received many calls from other regions and day care providers interested in Region II's "Bookless Storytelling" program which will be held on May 7th. Jane Cutler, author of Song of the Molimo, visited a crowd of 75 people at the Lynchburg Public Library where she answered questions about this book and her other books. She also autographed her books for visitors. The presentation was taped for C-SPAN and should be broadcast in late May or early June. Cutler's daughter lives in Charlottesville so she may be willing to visit other libraries while in the area. Flyers with recommended science project web sites have been very popular in Lynchburg. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has created "Tips for Teens" brochures about smoking, marijuana, hallucinogens, cocaine, etc. and will send them to the library if you contact them. Lorry also distributed a Region II roster which includes all of the libraries in the region and the main children's contact person in each system. The Region III Representative was not present. Ginger reported on Region IV news. Tyrone Travis will visit the Appomattox Regional Library in the spring and will perform a ventriloquist program. The Appomattox Regional Library system will use the "Camp Read-A-Lot" theme this summer since an international theme was used earlier in the year. Magical Puppet Creations will perform a puppet show. A local Boy Scout troop will teach kids how to tie knots. A representative from Virginia State University will talk about fishing and bring in some live fish. Kids will sponge paint t-shirts and the Wildlife Center will bring animals to the library. Boy Scouts will also teach kids how to paddle a canoe and kids will try out their skills in a real one at the Appomattox River Park. A hiking program at the Presquile Wildlife Refuge and campfire singing and stories at Flowerdew Hundred will be sponsored by Appomattox Regional as well. The final party will be a "Camping at the Library" program one evening. At the Chesterfield County Public Library, Pam Bomboy will visit this month with her "Tales Alive" storytelling program. The libraries are gearing up for the Summer Reading Program and cooperating with Cloverleaf Mall for an end of the summer celebration. The literacy mascot for the mall, Raggs, will visit each library this summer. The Midlothian Library in Chesterfield has booked That Yo-Yo Guy for the summer. Chesterfield County's 250th anniversary is also this summer so the library will host a History Day with Mike Steen. The program will focus on life in 1773 in Virginia. The Central Library will host the Regional Tea for Pat Muller on April 30th. The Colonial Heights Public Library held an Easter Egg Hunt on April 1st and the kids searched for 1240 eggs. Scheduled performers for the Summer Reading Program include Amazing Jason, the Army Band, storyteller George Craft, and Jonathan Austin. The Chesterfield County Parks and Recreation Department will bring a Wildlife Show to the library and an origami workshop is in the works. Poet laureate Joseph Awad will visit the Petersburg Public Library's Open House and children and teenagers from ages 5 through 17 who won the poetry contest will be recognized. Petersburg is celebrating an anniversary with refreshments and library tours. A dramatic speaking program will also be held this spring called "Shut My Mouth Wide Open" which is made up of stories from plantation slaves of the 19th century. Region V Representative Rebecca Purdy reported on Region V and thanked her co-representative Ginger Schwartz for sending information on part of the region. The Central Library in Arlington will hold a "Celebration with Children's Illustrator E.B. Lewis" during National Library Week. Author Jacqueline Woodson will be visiting a local school in Arlington as well. The Teen Council at the Headquarters Library of the Central Rappahannock Regional Library will hold the second annual "Body in the Library" program on May 14th. This program is written and performed by the Teen Council. A book discussion group for seventh graders, The BookTalkers, will continue and a bookmark of their favorite titles will be produced. The Porter Library will offer a "Live at the Library - Passion for Poetry" series of programs for young adults and adults. These programs are funded by a grant. Gregory Orr from UVA, Reetika Vazirani of Sweet Briar College, and Toni Blackman of Washington D.C. will teach different types of poetry writing from Beginning Poetry to Hip Hop & Freestyle. E. Ethelbert Miller of Howard University will read poetry at the final program. The Centreville Branch will hold a "book-sharing experience for preschoolers and their parents" with the "Starbucks Presents: Books and Beverages" program. The Fairfax City Branch offers Internet classes for ages 12 and up. The Volkswagon "Poetry Bug" will visit the Eastern Loudoun Regional Library. The EMT's (Emergency Metaphor Technicians) will be on hand with a VW bug covered with magnetic words. This stop will be the only one in Virginia and is sponsored by VW and Magnetic Poetry for National Poetry Month. Chinn Park will hold a Living Bug Zoo. Also the Mariachi "Los Amigos" Band will perform. Edward Bloor, the author of Tangerine, will also visit. Karen Gray sent a report on Region VI. The Jefferson-Madison Regional Library held a Science Project Help Day where scientists from UVA, Piedmont Virginia Community College, and the Discovery Museum were available to help students working on science projects. A logo contest for the teen summer reading program is being held as well. The Rockingham Public Library hosted Appalachian storyteller Mountain Mack. Other recommended storytellers from Rockingham are Vivian Owens, Susan Clark, and Donna Hughes. Magician Kevin Owens and juggler Steve Kissell were also recommended. In the fall, Rockingham held a "Fall for Reading" as well as a "Read for Seed" program for preschoolers and their parents in which parents who read 15 books to their preschooler in one month were invited to a special party. The library also focused on nutrition for National Nutrition Month and held a "Veggie Munch" for children 6 to 12 years old. The Staunton Public Library hosted a Regional Tea for Pat Muller on April 16. The Virginia Educational Media Association's Shenandoah Region will have a spring conference on Tuesday May 4 which will focus on the history of the Shenandoah Valley and its people. St. Anne's-Belfield School hosted Pat Muller and a group of Virginia librarians for a Summer Reading Program meeting on March 26. Diantha reported on the success of the book review group formed in Region VI. Librarians spent one day looking through all of the publishers' titles and wrote down feedback for them. The books were then divided by the libraries in the region. Augusta County received 90 new books and the experience provided a good chance to network with other libraries in the region. The American Chills/Daughters of Liberty series author Elizabeth Massie visited the libraries in this region also. Diantha welcomed new representatives Maureen Harrill and Carlene Pool. She also thanked Rebecca Purdy for accepting the chair-elect position. The February minutes were approved without addition or correction. Sherry Inabinet gave the Jefferson Cup report. 417 books have been received at this time which is double the number from years ago. A committee made up of the former chairs will meet to create guidelines and policies concerning the Jefferson Cup. Among issues discussed will be whether to give a series award. After this meeting, the former Jefferson Cup chairs will send their recommendations to the Youth Services Forum and afterwards recommendations will be voted on by VLA Council. Publicity of the award seems to have helped the publishers become more aware of the award, hence the increase in the number of titles mailed. Diantha reported on VLA Council news. Currently VLA has 1018 members. 318 have not renewed their membership yet. The 2000 VLA Conference will be held in Norfolk at the Clarion and will only be held for two days - October 19th and October 20th. If anyone has any papers that need to be in the VLA archives, please send them to Stella Pool. VLA is currently trying to recruit and retain new members with its "1 Minute for Membership: Get a Member, Be a Member" campaign. Strategies for this campaign include a recruitment packet available at all programs VLA presents, a note from the President of VLA plus information on VLA with contacts, etc. given to new members, and treats for renewing membership. The campaign will encourage library directors to support staff involvement in VLA. Please be proactive in telling others of the benefits of membership in VLA. When advertising a VLA program, state that VLA members benefit from a discounted price. Ideas for the Annual Conference were discussed next. The Jefferson Cup program and the "Jefferson Cup Overfloweth" program will be sponsored by the Youth Services Forum. Other possible program ideas included a program on the Internet and filters, using music in storytimes, helping children with science projects, simple puppetry, and a booktalking/storytelling informal evening program. Scott will be presenting a program with Tim Carrier about cool YA titles at the Abingdon Celebration of Children's Literature Conference in October. The group then discussed whether regional representatives should organize a regional program every year. After discussion, it was agreed that regional representatives would be asked to organize a minimum of one continuing education program per term. Representatives felt that these programs were important for networking and that sometimes staff are better able to attend a workshop in their area than a location farther away. This proposed change of the Youth Services Forum description will be sent to Stella Pool. Pat announced that the Summer Reading Program theme for next summer will be "Get Carried Away with Books." The Demco materials promote this theme with bugs so bug books, programs, etc. can be highlighted. Regional subcommittees are working on assignments relating to the 2000 manual as well as special projects. Groups are working on marketing and public relations, programs and activities, bibliographies and resources, and the performer showcase as well as the 2001 manual, teen services, development of the youth office web site, and strategic planning. Pat would like to see more variety in the manual and encourages youth services staff around the state to submit material for the manual. She asks that suggestions or ideas for the committees be sent to the committee chairs or to her. Handouts naming these committees and their chairs were handed out at the regional teas. She also encourages everyone to sign up for the Library of Virginia youth listserv. Directions on how to sign up can be found on VLA's web site. She will combine all of the ideas addressed at the teas and will post them for everyone to see. The strategic planning committee will look at these as well and evaluate them. Continuing education already seems to be very important and since that is also a mission of the Youth Services Forum, the YSF will meet jointly with the strategic planning committee on June 17th at the Midlothian Library in Chesterfield County at 12:00 p.m. Pat also discussed the Read-Aloud Initiative and said that information had been sent to the directors regarding this initiative. Jim Trelease is holding a full-day workshop at the Landmark Theatre during October. A statewide read-aloud booklist may be prepared in support of the Read-Aloud Initiative. The phone number of the Youth Services Forum chair as well as some VLA identification will be added to the Youth Services Forum survey and will be mailed out with the minutes. Keeping planning packets from different workshops at the Library of Virginia was discussed. This archive would help libraries interested in planning similar workshops. Scott and Pat will be presenting a Teen Services program in the fall. The program is tentatively scheduled for October 1st from 10:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. The location is unknown at this time. The next meeting will be held at the Midlothian Library in Chesterfield County on June 17 in conjunction with the Library of Virginia's Youth Services Strategic Planning Committee at 12:00 p.m. The meeting adjourned. |