This week, librarians from around the nation and the world are traveling to Seattle, WA for the 2013 ALA Midwinter Meeting.  Fifty-five of those librarians have a special reason for attending the meeting.  They were selected to participate in the ALA Emerging Leaders program, a leadership development program begun in 2007 that enables newer library workers from across the country to participate in problem-solving work groups, network with peers, gain an inside look into ALA structure, and have an opportunity to serve the profession in a leadership capacity.  Participation in the program is a highly competitive process, but this year, five of the Emerging Leaders are from Virginia!  Nathan Hall, Nzinga Holley-Harris, Margaret Howard, Kathleen Roberts, and Yasmine Shorish were selected from a large  number of qualified applicants to participate in this prestigious program.

Nathan Hall is the VTechWorks Digital Repository Librarian at Virginia Tech.  He earned his MLS from the University of North Texas College of Information in 2006 and is currently pursuing a PhD in Information Science at UNT, where he worked as a librarian until 2011.  Nathan is currently co-chair of the ACRL Science and Technology Section Hot Topics Discussion Group.  Previously he spent three years teaching English in Japan and China.  Nathan is looking forward to new service opportunities and experience through the Emerging Leaders program.

Nzinga Holley-Harris is sponsored by the Black Caucus of the American Library Association for the 2013 Emerging Leaders program and currently works with the U.S. Department of Justice.

Margaret Howard, a librarian at Chesterfield County Public Library since January 2011, has been named a 2013 ALA Emerging Leader with sponsorship from the ALA New Members Round Table. Originally from Charlotte, NC, Margaret worked as an English teacher in Beijing, China, and then in the financial field for a few years before deciding to pursue her MLIS, which she received from UNC Greensboro in 2010. Margaret currently serves as Secretary/Treasurer for VLA’s New Members Round Table and serves on ALA’s NMRT Annual Conference Professional Development Attendance Award Committee and the NMRT Liaison Coordination and Support Committee. She is very happy and honored to be named an Emerging Leader and looks forward to meeting other librarians from around the world and gaining new perspectives to better serve the library field.

Kathleen Riopelle Roberts is the School Librarian at Rivers Edge Elementary in Henrico County Public Schools. She earned a Master of Teaching in Secondary Social Studies from Virginia Commonwealth University before earning a Master of Science in Education with a concentration in School Library Media from Longwood University. Currently, she serves as the Virginia Association of School Librarians (VAASL) Scholarships & Awards Chair and is a member of the American Association of School Librarians (AASL) Best Apps for Teaching and Learning Task Force. She looks forward to traveling to meet all different types of librarians and exploring the opportunities with the Emerging Leaders program. She is sponsored by the American Association of School Librarians.

Yasmeen Shorish is the Science Librarian at James Madison University. With a concentration in data curation from the Graduate School of Library and Information Science from the University of Illinois, Yasmeen brings best practice experience to the dynamic and evolving field of digital curation. Research areas include data management and curation, attitudes towards data sharing among researchers, and the shifting landscape of scholarly communication.

Since 2007, 18 other Virginia librarians have participated in the program:

• 2007:  Mario A. Ascencio, LeRoy Jason LaFleur (both from George Mason University)
• 2008: Mary Hanlin (Tidewater Community College), Renee DiPilato (Alexandria Public Library), Sally Ma (Fairfax County Public Library).  Sally, Renee and Mary wrote this article in Virginia Libraries  about their experiences.
• 2009: Laura  Horne (University of Richmond), Sara Townsend (Norfolk Public Library), Beth Larkee (Hollins University), Suzanna Panter (Henrico Co. Public Schools), Sarah Wright (Potomac Library)
• 2010: Laura Amos (Norfolk Collegiate School), Nathan Putnam (George Mason University)
• 2011:  Elizabeth Appleton (George Mason University), Alicia Blowers (St. Stephen & St. Agnes School), Megan Hodge (Chesterfield Co. Public Library), Matthew Jabaily (Old Dominion University).  Betsy, Megan, and Matthew recently wrote this article about their experiences in Virginia Libraries.
• 2012:  Rocco DeBonis (University of Maryland College) and Rebecca Miller (Virginia Tech)

The Virginia Library Association congratulates all current and past Virginia Emerging Leaders, and looks forward to supporting this next generation of our state’s library leaders!

Did you know….each year, VLA provides two $2500 scholarships to VLA members pursuing their MLS degree? Competition for these coveted scholarships is intense, and we need help choosing the lucky recipients. This is where YOU come in.

The VLA Scholarship Committee is seeking members to round out our 12-person committee. Your responsibilities include:

• Review of Scholarship Applications (after March 1 each year)
• Ranking of Applicants (following specific criteria)
• Online discussion with other committee members — no meetings to travel to!
• Time spent at the VLA Scholarship Basket Raffle tables at the VLA Annual Conference in September
• A two-year commitment, beginning this month and ending in January 2015.

The VLA Scholarship Committee has as its mission “to provide financial support to Association members who seek to advance their education in the field of librarianship”. Seeing the need to encourage library workers and Virginia residents to become librarians, VLA awarded the first scholarship in 1991. The scholarships are meant to encourage current library workers, Virginia residents, and those new to the field to obtain their MLS degrees. By assisting those wanting to pursue this degree, the scholarship is helping to improve library workers, and libraries themselves; as a result communities and those we serve are affected.

Any member of VLA is eligible to be a member of the committee. We are required to have at least 6 members, which included one from each VLA region. We have found that we need about 12 members to be most effective. Scholarship applications are due each March 1. Following very specific criteria, the committee members review the applications and individually create a ranking of the applicants. Throughout the year, correspondence and business is handled via email. During the fall conference, members man the booth for the raffle of donated baskets, which is the sole fundraiser for the committee.

The Scholarship Committee serves a very important function for VLA and VLA members. Anyone interested in serving should contact Lisa Varga or me. We are in need of several members, especially from region 6. (What VLA Region am I? http://www.vpl.virginia.gov/directories-listservs/vla-regions.html) The term of serving on the committee is 2 years, and begins January of each year. It is a wonderful committee on which to serve!

If you have more questions, please contact me.

Sasha Matthews, Scholarship Committee Chair

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