2021 VLA Elections NOW OPEN

It's time to cast your ballot and choose the individuals who will help lead the Virginia Library Association in the coming year. Please read the Candidate Statement and Biographies of those who have offered to stand for election and vote before September 16!

VLA Announcements: Conference and Leadership, July 20, 2020

The Virginia Library Association Annual Conference will not be taking place in person this year. In August 2020, the VLA Executive Committee and 2020 Conference Committee will announce our Fall learning plans for the organization.

Last week, we let you know that our 2021 VLA President, Joslyn Bowling Dixon, was leaving VA for a position as Director of Newark Public Library in New Jersey. The Executive Committee met virtually last week to discuss the 2021 leadership year. Jennifer Resor-Whicker (Radford University) who is the 2020 VLA President, has graciously offered to act as President for 2021. This extra commitment to VLA on Jennifer’s part assures consistent leadership for the organization.  This will also give Jennifer the chance to preside over an in-person conference in Richmond in 2021. In 2021, Jennifer will act as both President and Past President of VLA. If the Executive Committee needs to vote on anything during that time, Past President Jessica Scalph will be called in as a tiebreaker.

VLA Elections (which will determine our 2021 President-Elect and Secretary), will open on August 3 and will close on September 16. We encourage you to visit https://www.vla.org/2021-vla-election-of-officers--candidate-statements-and-biographies to learn more about our candidates, and then log in to your VLA account to make sure you know your password (it will make voting easier for you in just a couple of weeks.)

If your session proposal was accepted by our conference committee, we will be in touch in the coming weeks to provide alternatives to you. Our conference this year may not look like it has in the past, but we are committed to providing learning experiences for librarians and library staff in Virginia.

We are losing many opportunities by not having our in-person conference this year, and want to find ways for you to all continue to network; we want to honor our authors whose books were given awards by VLA this year, and to celebrate our VLA Scholarship and Award recipients. These are all part of our considerations as we move forward.

We ask you to mark your calendars in advance for October 27-29, 2021 in Richmond.

Stay safe, stay healthy, and thank you for serving your communities. Your work matters.

As always, please let me know if you have any questions.
Lisa R. Varga, MLS
Executive Director
Virginia Library Association
[email protected]

VLA 2021 Election of Officers: August 3 through September 16

Learn more about our candidates and make sure your membership is active so you can vote!

• Candidates for Vice President/President Elect (3-year position):
• Nathan Hall (Virginia Tech)
• KT Vaughan (Washington & Lee University) 
  
  
• Candidates for VLA Secretary (2-year position): 
• Natisha Harper (Howard University)
• Maryśka Connolly-Brown (Hampden-Sydney College)

VLA's Statement on Racism and Violence

The recent murders of George Floyd in Minneapolis, MN, Breonna Taylor in Louisville, KY, and Ahmaud Arbery in Brunswick, GA are only the most recent examples of the ongoing problems with systemic racism in American society today.

The Virginia Library Association (VLA) stands in solidarity with the Black Caucus of the American Library Association (BCALA) in condemning violence and racism toward Black people and all people of color, and endorses BCALA's statement condemning increased violence and racism towards Black Americans and people of color.

VLA stands with Black people and all people of color from across the globe in protest of the racism, discrimination, pain and sorrow marginalized communities have experienced for too long. We recognize that we must acknowledge our own biases and be open to change, always considering the impact of our words and actions, regardless of intent. Only by acknowledging our discomfort can we truly effect change and bridge differences. The pervasive racism present in our nation denies its residents equal rights and equal access and as such is a barrier to the goals of this association and to everything that libraries stand for.

We honor and offer our support to library workers, library users, and members of the communities we serve who are susceptible to acts of prejudice, threats of violence, and even death based solely on their race or ethnicity. VLA is planning to hold a moderated town hall on race and libraries in the near future. We have also collected a list of anti-racism resources that was curated by the attendees at a recent VLA Zoomversation meeting. If your library has also created a resource list, please email a link to [email protected] so we may add it to our page.

VLA pledges to work towards a more equitable future for all. We have faith that we can come together and meet the challenges that lie ahead.

-June 2020

VLA's Anti-Racism Resource List

During the June 3, 2020 VLA Zoomversation with the Library of Virginia, the attendees compiled this list of resources related to anti-racism readings, films, podcasts, and other types of resources.  This list will continue to be updated.  If you have any suggestions for additions or edits, please email Lisa Varga.