Recording: Why You Should Publish in Virginia Libraries

Learn why you should publish in Virginia Libraries. This recording on YouTube (recorded February 24, 2023) covers the top 5 things you need to know, answers common questions, and tips to help you explore writing topics.

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Welcome to the 2023 VLAPAF Conference
April 23-25, 2023

Registration is Open

Click here for the current schedule.

On behalf of the Executive Board of the Virginia Library Association Professional Associates Forum (VLAPAF), we would like to extend a warm welcome to our conference this year. Due to COVID and the change to having a conference every other year, we are so excited to have you all join us since our last conference was in 2018.  We are lucky to be able to have this conference at the beautiful Newport News Marriott at City Center.

“The Library: Cornerstone of Your Community” was chosen as the conference theme this year since over the past several years, all libraries have proven their worth in the community whether their doors were closed or opened. The buildings may have been closed, but our services continued. Your library’s success during this difficult time was due to staff dedication and ability to change course at any moment to serve your patrons. 

What allows for this wonderful service?  Understanding of the people we serve. No matter what position you hold in your library, whether it’s a public, academic, school, or special library, you make difference in the lives of every individual you encounter on a daily basis. This could be in-person, on the telephone, or virtually. We all play an important role!

Our Keynote Speaker on Monday morning, Maurice Coleman, will share his expertise in relating not only to our customers, but also to our fellow staff members.  We hope you enjoy his humorous take on communication. The conference will then continue with individual sessions that relate to Youth Services, Technical Services, Customer Service, Outreach Services, General Services, and Professional Development. New this year, we will have a networking session each day, called our “Snowball Fight”. Stay tuned for more information on what this is all about!

We will close our conference on Tuesday afternoon with speakers from Urban Librarians Unite, sharing their work, the Urban Library Trauma Study. We will then have our closing popular Raffle Basket giveaway.  New this year will be the ability to purchase raffle tickets on-line.

We are looking forward to seeing everyone and we sincerely hope you enjoy the conference the VLAPAF Board has planned for you this year.  Once the conference is over, share with your colleagues any new ideas you have gained from the conference and urge them to join us in 2025! Please complete your conference evaluations as these help us to continue to improve on what YOU want at the next conference. If you would like to become a Board member and join a great team of Professional Associates, please see any one of us at the conference or e-mail us directly.

See you soon!

Kathy Clevenger, Co-Chair, VLAPAF  [email protected]
Debbie Pence, Co-Chair, VLAPAF [email protected]

A block of rooms has been reserved for VLAPAF Conference rate of $119 per night. Click here to reserve your room. You must reserve your room by March 24, 2023, to receive the discounted rate.

VLAPAF Award/Complimentary Conference Attendance

Registration for the 2023 VLAPAF Conference, The Library: Cornerstone of Your Community, opens in mid-February. Here is your chance to nominate yourself or a colleague for a COMPLIMENTARY REGISTRATION and TWO NIGHTS at the Newport News Marriott.

The VLA Professional Associates Forum Award (previously known as the VLA Paraprofessional Forum Award) was established in 1995 through the generosity of Evelyn Kimball, a retired library paraprofessional who recognizes the value of support staff development. This award is meant to assist someone who is unable to acquire local funding to attend the conference. Awarded annually, it will provide full conference fees to a deserving paraprofessional. You may nominate a colleague or yourself.

The entry should include: Name of the nominee; Library where the nominee is associated; 2-3 paragraphs describing why the nominee deserves this award; and the name and library of the nominator.

The award consists of complimentary conference registration and 2 nights at the Newport News Marriott hotel during the VLAPAF Conference in April 2023.

Complete the form here: https://forms.gle/JwM3NWEjUQdDJJXW8

The VLAPAF Conference is returning for the first time since 2018! We hope you will join us, April 23-25, 2023 in Newport News! More information (pricing and a full schedule) will be shared in the coming days.

-February 10, 2023

2023 Cardinal Cup Committee: Seeking Members

Are you a history buff?  Do you enjoy reading new juvenile and young adult literature? Apply to be a member of the 2023 Cardinal Cup Award Committee!  (Don't know your region? Here is a list and map: https://vpl.virginia.gov/directories/virginia-library-regions-libraries-by-region-and-map/)

Applicants must be willing to make the time commitment to read and discuss the books submitted for consideration, as well as attend physical and/or virtual meetings. Complete the application linked below and return it to Vanessa Salo, Cardinal Cup Committee Chair, by October 31, 2022.

The Cardinal Cup honors two distinguished biography, historical fiction or American history books for children and young adults. Presented since 1983, the Cardinal 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. Read more and see previous winners here.

The Cardinal Cup Committee selects the winning titles. The committee has ten members: a chairperson and vice-chairperson (selected by the previous year’s committee), one person from each VLA region (total of six persons) selected by the current chair, the past chair of the previous year’s Cardinal Cup Committee and the outgoing chairperson of Youth Services Forum. All committee members must be members of VLA. Members may be employed by public libraries, schools or any type or bookstores; they may also be unemployed or retired.

You may nominate yourself or a colleague for consideration. Persons selected must be willing to commit a large amount of personal time to read and evaluate books; committee members may receive over 200 titles. Members will also have to attend daytime meetings which may be exclusively online or a combination of online and in person. Persons who serve on the committee should be knowledgeable of literature for young people and have book evaluation experience. Cardinal Cup Committee members are expected to present programs at the annual VLA and, possibly, VAASL conferences, so a supervisor must sign this application, indicating he or she will allow the person to attend the conferences and will assist with the member’s expenses.

Update to VLA Awards

This year the VLA Executive Committee voted to change the names of two of the Association’s awards, both previously named after historical Virginians. The Cardinal Cup (nee Jefferson Cup) continues to honor a distinguished biography, historical fiction, or American history book for young people. Renaming the cup after our state bird empowers VLA to engage broadly with history while still remaining true to our Commonwealth identity. The Advocacy Award (nee George Mason Award) honors individuals, libraries, or other organizations distinguished for advocacy of libraries and/or information access. This name change clarifies the purpose of the award for both nominators and award winners.

The Executive Committee identified all awards named after individuals, and selected these two for renaming. While Jefferson and Mason were both foundational figures in the early history of the Commonwealth and the country, neither has a specific link to the Virginia Library Association. In addition, both have complex biographies that are exclusionary to a growing portion of our membership. We chose to retain Donna G. Cote’s name for the Librarian of the Year Award, in recognition of her long and dedicated service to Virginia public libraries; and the Clara M. Stanley Scholarship will remain in honor of Ms. Stanley, who served on the VLA Professional Associates Board for more than a decade.

Many thanks to the dedicated members of our award and scholarship committees and juries, the Executive Committee, and the VLA Council for their careful consideration of and input into award names. The committees and juries do excellent work recruiting and evaluating award nominations every year. Congratulations to our 2022 award winners, and we look forward to seeing nominations for 2023.

Thank you, Prof. K.T. L. Vaughan, MSLS, EdD, 2022 VLA President

(Please give us grace over the next couple of months as we update the VLA website, forms, and other details.)

-September 28, 2022