VLA Announces 2016 Award Winners

The Virginia Library Association (VLA) is pleased to announce the 2016 winners of the VLA Donna G. Cote Librarian of the Year, Up and Comer Award, Public Library Innovator Award, Trustee Library Award, the George Mason Award, Friends of the Library Award, Trustee Library Award, and the George Mason Award. The awards will be presented at the VLA Annual Conference.

Join Us!

Join us as we celebrate these winners during our 25th Annual Scholarship & Awards Banquet from 6 to 8 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 26. Celebrate VLA’s 2016 Scholarship and Award Winners with a delicious sit-down dinner prepared in The Homestead’s award-winning kitchen. The cost is $55. All proceeds will be donated to the Scholarship Fund. It is not too late to buy a ticket, even if you have already registered and paid for the conference! Just log in to the Conference Registration Page and click the link under "Edit Your Previous Submission". To find out more about this year's conference, visit our Conference Portal.

2016 VLA Scholarship Raffle Tickets For Sale

Want to purchase tickets for the VLA Scholarship Raffle in advance?

Pay now and your tickets will be held for you at the Scholarship Booth and can be picked up any time between 8:30 am - 5:00 pm Thursday, October 27, and 8:30am - 1:30 pm Friday, October 28.

Tickets are $2.00 each or 3 for $5.00. (ex: $25 gets you 15 tickets)

Please click here and enter the total dollar amount for the number of tickets you wish to purchase.

Call for Session Proposals: 2017 VLA Professional Associates Conference – “What’s In A Name?”

We are now accepting session proposals for the 2017 VLA Professional Associates Conference – “What’s In A Name?”, which will be held at the Newport News Marriott City Center, May 22, 2017. Please consider presenting sessions that discuss Outreach/Marketing, Youth Services, Adult Services, Special Services, Technical Services, and General Services for our patrons.

Proposals are invited for 45-minute presentations.

Deadline for submission has been extended to November 30, 2016. All submissions will be reviewed by the VLAPAF Board and notification of acceptance will be given in January of 2017.

Up to two presenters per session will receive 50% off conference registration fees.

Please click on this link to fill out the session proposal form: 2017 VLA Professional Associates Forum Session Proposal

Thank you for your interest in the VLAPAF!

Kathy Clevenger, VLAPAF 2017 Chair

Use Roommate Finder for the VLA Conference

The VLA Annual Conference is fast approaching and the VLA room block at the Homestead has sold out!

But never fear, intrepid conference-goers! VLA has created a Roommate Finder to help you out. Maybe you have a room and want a roommate to help ease the financial burden. Or maybe you missed the chance to book a room for yourself. Either way, just fill out the Roommate Finder Form today and we will do our best to match you with a roommate! The deadline to submit your form is September 30. Remember to include your email so we can connect you with your roommate!

Webinar: Opportunities for Inclusion in Academic Libraries with Natisha Harper

Description: VLA's Diversity and Inclusion Forum will be sponsoring the webinar Opportunities for Inclusion in Academic Libraries on Monday Sept. 26 from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m.

Cost: $10 for VLA members, $15 for non-members (non-refundable*)
After this one-hour webinar, participants will be able to:

Examine bias and determine if changes need to be made in the library.
Develop strategies for cultural inclusion outside of the traditional programming initiatives.
Create approaches to make the library welcoming to all groups.
Identify outreach strategies that connect patrons through social engagement.