2015 Scholarship Award Winners

VLA Professional Associates Clara M. Stanley Scholarship
The 2015 recipient of the VLA Professional Associates Clara M. Stanley Scholarship is Lamar Ford III, from Newport News VA. Mr. Ford currently works full time for Hampton University's Harvey Library, and additionally for York County Public Library. He is pursuing his Master's in Library Information Science from the University of North Texas, and expects to graduate in 2016. Ultimately, wants to work in an academic library. In his scholarship application, Lamar stated that his "short-term goal is to obtain [his] master's degree ... , learning as much as possible about all departments collectively, meanwhile molding myself into a highly qualified, versatile librarian." Mr. Ford has been a member of VLA since 2015, but active in the association since 2014.  

VLA Virginia Public Library Directors Association Scholarship
The 2015 recipient of the VLA VPLDA Scholarship is William (Bill) Edwards-Bodmer from Portsmouth VA. He has been employed by Norfolk Public Library as an IT Trainer since January of this year. Mr. Edwards-Bodmer is pursuing his Master's of Science in Library and Information Studies from Florida State University, and expects to graduate in 2016. Bill greatly enjoys helping people find the information they need and has an interest in new technology developments in libraries. His goal is to combine these interests with a public service component to help public libraries and their patrons advance technologically. Mr. Edwards-Bodmer has been active in VLA since 2015.

VLA Scholarship Winner
The 2015 VLA Scholarship recipient is Abigail Hargreaves from Arlington VA. Ms. Hargreaves is currently employed as a Library Technician with Library Systems and Services, LLC in Maryland as well as with the Arlington County Public Library. Ms. Hargreaves is pursuing her Master's of Library and Information Science through San José State University and expects to graduate in May of 2016. Ms. Hargreaves' future goals include working in a public library serving the young adult population. Abigail is very supportive of free speech and intellectual freedom and promotes the library every chance she gets. Library and Information Science has always felt like a passion for Abigail and she is well on her way to achieving her goals. Ms. Hargreaves has been a member of VLA since 2015. 

Congratulations to Lamar, Bill and Abigail, who each received $2,500 towards their educations. Thank you to all who have contributed to the 2015 Scholarship Fund! If you would like to make a tax-deductible contribution to VLA Scholarships, please click here: http://www.vla.org/donations/

2015 Jefferson Cup Winners and Honor Books

Red madness: how a medical mystery changed what we eat and
Hello, I’m Johnny Cash Win 2015 Jefferson Cup

The Jefferson Cup Committee is pleased to announce its selections for this year’s awards. The 2015 Jefferson Cup Award for Older Readers went to Gail Jarrow for Red madness: how a medical mystery changed what we eat. The 2015 Jefferson Cup Award for Younger Readers went to G. Neri for Hello, I’m Johnny Cash.  Red Madness traces the story of pellagra in the United States from isolating the disease to an eventual cure, as well as the intensely personal trials of the tens of thousands afflicted and persecuted during the early twentieth-century. Hello, I’m Johnny Cash, unanimously selected by the committee as the winner for younger readers, is an age appropriate free verse biography of Johnny Cash that stretches from Cash’s extremely poor beginnings to his eventual success with amazingly beautiful illustrations that bring his story to life.

Halley by Faye Gibbons, Pure grit: how American World War II nurses survived battle and prison camp in the Pacific by Mary Cronk Farrell, and Upside Down in the Middle of Nowhere by Julie T. Lamana were selected as honor books for older readers.  

For younger readers, Ben Franklin's big splash: the mostly true story of his first invention by Barb Rosenstock, George Washington's rules to live by: a good manners guide from the father of our country by K.M. Kostyal, President Taft Stuck in the Bath by Mac Barnett, and Thomas Jefferson: life, liberty and the pursuit of everything by Maira Kalman were selected as honor books. The I am… and Who was ? Series’ both received the Series Worthy of Note designation for young readers for their informative, captivating biographies for ages 5-8 and 8-12 respectively.

About the Jefferson Cup

The Jefferson Cup honors a distinguished biography, historical fiction or American history book for young people. Presented since 1983, the Jefferson Cup Committee’s goal is to promote reading about America’s past; to encourage the quality writing of United States history, biography and historical fiction for young people and to recognize authors in these disciplines.

The committee has nine members: a chairperson (selected by the previous year’s committee), one person from each Virginia Library Association region (total of six persons) selected by the current chair, the chair of the previous year’s Jefferson Cup Committee, and the chairperson or outgoing chairperson of the Youth Services Forum. All committee members are members of VLA.

–Submitted by Susan Taylor Catlett, 2015 Jefferson Cup Committee Chair